Open-source software permissive licenses 101 is an essential topic for any organization or developer working with open-source software (OSS). Unlike restrictive or copyleft licenses, permissive licenses grant users significant freedom to use, modify, and redistribute code with minimal obligations. This flexibility has made them one of the most popular choices in the software industry, especially…
Ignoring technical risks is one of the most common M&A red flags in tech-heavy deals. And when it comes to open-source software (OSS), the margin for error is shrinking fast. Acquirers who don’t dig deep into a target’s OSS usage risk inheriting technical debt, legal exposure, and integration headaches. Here’s what savvy buyers look for…
The auditing of open-source software (OSS) is rapidly emerging as a distinct field at the intersection of law, software engineering, cybersecurity, and corporate governance. While traditionally confined to niche technical tasks or legal due diligence during M&A, OSS auditing now demands frameworks that bridge disciplines and address complex, large-scale risk environments in both private and…
In the open-source world, the choice of license shapes how software can be used, shared, and monetized. One of the most commercially significant—and sometimes controversial—licenses is the Affero General Public License (AGPL). Born from the same family as the GPL, AGPL adds a powerful twist: it extends copyleft obligations to software offered over a network.…
In a groundbreaking development for open-source law, a California court recently ruled that end users of a product embedded with open-source software may have the right to enforce the software license terms—even if they didn’t write the code themselves. At the center of this legal shift is SFC v. Vizio, a lawsuit filed by the…
Open-source software is no longer just an option — it’s the new normal. According to the latest survey by OpenLogic, 95% of IT professionals are now using open-source tools, signaling a significant shift in the way organizations build, deploy, and scale technology. As businesses increasingly adopt cloud-native architectures, open source is emerging as the foundation…
The ubiquity of open-source software in the technology field today plays a key role in this arena. However, it also introduces risks—ranging from licensing issues to security vulnerabilities. To mitigate these risks and maintain transparency, incorporating open-source software audit reports into product documentation and release notes is becoming not just a best practice but a necessity.
AI’s ability to learn raises serious legal risks, as seen in Thomson Reuters v. Ross Intelligence, where a court ruled that Ross unlawfully used Westlaw’s copyrighted headnotes to train its AI. This extends to AI-generated open-source software (OSS)—if AI models fail to comply with OSS licenses, companies face legal and financial consequences.
The complexities surrounding digital copyright and contract law in the context of open-source software and artificial intelligence were proven in a recent decision by the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, significant developments have unfolded in the case involving Plaintiffs J. Doe 1, et al., against Defendants GitHub, Inc., Microsoft Corporation,…
After years of legal battles, the Court of Appeal of Paris has issued a landmark decision against Orange, one of France’s leading telecom providers. The court found Orange guilty of copyright infringement and violation of the GNU General Public License (GPL) in its use of Entr’Ouvert’s Lasso software. The ruling orders Orange to pay substantial…