Open source licensing & compliance

Practical help in
leveraging and managing
open source

Open source software is ubiquitous. It powers almost every key computing technology we rely on today. What many people forget is that open source software is still very much proprietary and is made available for use subject to specific licence terms. Sometimes those terms allow the user to do more or less what they want with the software, without any strings attached. Sometimes they come with strict conditions.

If you’re a software vendor, chances are your product has hundreds of open source components in it. Do you know what they are? And are you complying with the conditions of the licences they come with? Not knowing can have profound implications for your customers, for your IP and even for the value of your business.

If you’re looking to launch an open source product, choosing the right licence for it can be bewildering. Do you want a permissive licence or a copyleft licence? How strong of a copyleft? Should it bite on network access or only on actual distribution? The answers to these questions depend very much on your particular needs and goals

We can help by advising on open source audits, licence selection and establishment of open source policies and compliance programmes within organisations. So, whether you just need a quick check on a particular licence or you’re looking to establish a full compliance programme, we can provide the legal support you need to get it done.

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