Open Source Licensing Risks and Requirements: Contract Compliance, Copyright Infringement, Monitoring

Course Details
- smart_display Format
On-Demand
- signal_cellular_alt Difficulty Level
- work Practice Area
Trademark and Copyright
- event Date
Tuesday, May 10, 2022
- schedule Time
1:00 p.m. ET./10:00 a.m. PT
- timer Program Length
90 minutes
-
This 90-minute webinar is eligible in most states for 1.5 CLE credits.
This CLE course will prepare counsel for companies using open source software to understand and address the legal risks of open source licensing. The panel will provide best practices for ensuring compliance, minimizing infringement, and monitoring.
Faculty

Mr. Lindberg focuses on intellectual property, copyright, open source, and government policy and practice. He specializes in the intersection of technology and law, and was named one of “America’s top 12 Techiest Attorneys” by the American Bar Association Journal in 2012. He is invited to speak regularly on topics ranging from community dynamics to graph theory. Mr. Lindberg has also testified in congressional proceedings as an expert on both copyright and encryption policy. He has accrued significant expertise and experience in the area of open source, addressing the business, legal, economic and social aspects of engaging with open source communities. Mr. Lindberg is the author of the book “Intellectual Property and Open Source” a developer-focused guide to IP issues that has been used as a textbook for teaching the concepts of intellectual property and open source licensing.

Mr. Schwartz focuses on intellectual property strategy and general corporate matters. Prior to joining the firm, he served internships at the U.S. Attorney’s Office – District of New Hampshire and for the Hon. Bruce M. Selya of the First Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Schwartz has extensive experience in software design and development, including web applications, hospital patient data management systems and medical device software.

Mr. Stevenson concentrates his practice in the areas of e-commerce, information technology and intellectual property protection, licensing, and commercialization. His experience includes drafting and negotiating software licenses and software as a service, reseller, VAR, distribution, supply and sales representative agreements; drafting website terms of use and application terms of service, and counseling clients on related privacy law issues; advising companies on open source licensing issues and conducting open source due diligence reviews; and representing private and public companies in intellectual property matters related to mergers and acquisitions transactions.
Description
Open source software makes up as much as half of the code used in software and imposes licensing conditions on developers. Using open source software offers many benefits but also comes with risks and costs, including potential liability for failure to comply with licenses or infringing third-party IP rights.
To avoid possible claims of copyright infringement or other claims, licensees and their counsel should manage and account for their open source use to ensure they adhere to the conditions of the license.
Listen as our authoritative panel of IP attorneys examines the risks and requirements of open source licensing. The panel will also discuss compliance enforcement and infringement as well as monitoring software development to ensure open source license compliance.
Outline
- Open source license conditions
- Open source license compliance processes and policies
- Infringement vs. compliance risks
- Enforcement efforts
Benefits
The panel will review these and other noteworthy questions:
- What are the typical legal conditions that come with an open source license?
- What are the legal risks facing companies using or redistributing open source software?
- What are best practices to ensure compliance with open source license agreements?
- What are best practices if you receive a noncompliance claim?
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