Open Source License Law Resource Center

Starting Points for Finding Open Source License Law
Resources on the Internet

As Open Source software, such as Linux, continue to surge in popularity, a great deal of attention has been focused on the Open Source model and the Open Source licenses underlying this software. While information on the licenses and legal issues can be found on the Internet, it is scattered in a variety of places and it can be difficult to track down comprehensive sets of information.

That is the reason for this collection of resources, which aims to collect those resources in one convenient place. This page has a dual audience: ( 1 ) those in the legal profession working on projects involving the Open Source licenses and ( 2 ) those working with Open Source programs and code looking for information about legal issues relating to their projects. It is reasonable to expect that we will see much more action involving legal issues and the Open Source licenses. Note: please confirm statements made in linked articles and be aware that some articles may be dated in part and that some links include legal conclusions drawn by non-lawyers and should be evaluated carefully and cautiously. In other words, be a careful reader.

Open Source License Law Resources

ABA’s Overview of Open Source Software Licenses
Advogato
Anarchism Triumphant: Free Software and the Death of Copyright
Annotated Webliography on Open Source Software
Article on Sun Community Source License
The Cathedral and the Bazaar by Eric S. Raymond
Chaining Open Source Software: The Case Against Software Patents”
Checklist of Issues in Drafting and Negotiating Software License Agreements
Commercializing Open Source Software
Copyleft and the Religious Wars of the 21st Century (Stromian)
Court Evaluates Meaning of Derivative Work in an Open Source License
DMOZ.org’s Open Source License Directory
Do Open-Source Books Work?
Doc Searls Weblog – Open Source
Eric Raymond’s tips for effective open source advocacy
GigaLaw.com: The Challenge of the Open-Source Business Model
GNU General Public License – Free Software Foundation
GNU Project – Various Licenses and Comments
GNU’s Not Unix”
GNU.org Versus OpenSource.org
Google Directory – Computers > Open Source > Licenses
Government Executive Magazine ‘Open source’ software trend faces barriers
Halloween I Memo
Halloween II Memo
HBS Working Knowledge Technology The Organizational Model for Open Source
How Copyleft Uses License Rights to Succeed in the Open Source Software Revolution and the Implications for Article 2B
How to Evaluate Open Source Software – Free Software (OSS-FS) Programs
InfoDev.org Legal Panel
JustLinux.com
Law.com article on use of Linux in Law Offices
Linux Journal
Linux Online – GNU General Public License
Linux.com
LinuxWorld
LinuxWorld’s public discussion of open source licensing
Netscape’s Open Source White Paper
NewsForge: Open Source News
Open Mind – Corante
Open Resources
Open Source
Open Source – About.com
Open Source Agreements
Open Source and the CIO
Open Source Applications Foundation
Open Source Gets Down To Business
Open Source Initiative OSI – Licensing
The Open Source Interest Horizon (Sharky)
Open Source Licenses
Open-Source Licensing – Computerworld
The Open Source Licensing Page
Open source matchmaking
Opening Up to Open Source
The Origins and Future of Open Source Software”
Overview of Open Source Licenses
Phil Windley Stormy Peters Open Source at HP
Philosophy of the GNU Project – Free Software Foundation
Primer on Open Source license Legal Issues, Kennedy
Public Sector Open Source Initiative
Public Software Licenses Evaluated
Q & A with Bruce Perens on Open Source LIcenses
Reading List on Open Source and Intellectual Property
Rosen GPL Article 1
Rosen GPL Article 2
Rosenberg’s Corner: Topics
Rosenlaw.com: Articles
Salon.com Technology – Free Software Project
Senior Microsoft Attorney Looks at Open-Source Licensing
Setting Up Shop (Hecker)
Slashdot
Slashdot Discussion: Comparing Open Source Licenses
Slashdot Discussion: How to Misunderstand Open Source
Slashdot Discussion: Who Enforces the Open Source Licenses
SourceForge
TheOpenCD.org
The True Meaning Behind Open Source Licenses
VTIP.org Open Source Presentation (PPT)
Web Profile: Linux and the Open Source movement
What open source is
Why I Don’t Use the GPL
Wired 11.11 Open Source Everywhere
Your Opensource Plan – CIO Magazine

Additions, suggestions, changes, comments? Want to sponsor or advertise on this page? Contact Dennis Kennedy at dmk@denniskennedy.com .