Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%
Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.
Open Source Goes Mainstream: How to Manage the Risk
In recent years, numerous articles have been published in legal journals warning of the inherent risks of using open source code in the development of software ' the fear of pirated code, the possible threat of infringement claims, the “viral” effect of the redistribution provisions of the open source license on proprietary code, just to mention a few. Arguments that such risks are merely academic were trounced when SCO Group launched an infringement claim against IBM and its customers. (SCO Group sued IBM, alleging that IBM's Linux operating systems contained pirated UNIX code and related trade secrets allegedly owned by SCO. SCO has also sued two of IBM's major customers.)
Notwithstanding the dire warnings from lawyers and risk managers alike, companies continue to use open source code for their internal use, and to develop products to be sold or licensed to customers. Computer Weekly reported that 46% of firms surveyed by Forrester Research currently use open source, and another 14% plan to use it within the next 12 months. See, Computer Weekly, June 15, 2004, page 22. The acceptance of open source as a viable means to build sophisticated operating systems is also growing in the public sector. See, eWeek, eWeek.com, June 14, 2004. A recent article published in The Economist states: “That `open source' is a good way to make software is beyond question”, and suggests that open source represents a “new post-capitalist economic model” “Beyond Capitalism,” The Economist, June 12, 2004. Larger technology firms such as IBM, Sun, Apple and Novell have even jumped on the bandwagon by “open sourcing” some of their products.
New York's Latest Cybersecurity Commitment
On Aug. 9, 2023, Gov. Kathy Hochul introduced New York's inaugural comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. In sum, the plan aims to update government networks, bolster county-level digital defenses, and regulate critical infrastructure.
Law Firms are Reducing Redundant Real Estate by Bringing Support Services Back to the Office
A trend analysis of the benefits and challenges of bringing back administrative, word processing and billing services to law offices.
Bit Parts
Summary Judgment Denied Defendant in Declaratory Action by Producer of To Kill a Mockingbird Broadway Play Seeking Amateur Theatrical Rights
Risks of “Baseball Arbitration” in Resolving Real Estate Disputes
“Baseball arbitration” refers to the process used in Major League Baseball in which if an eligible player's representative and the club ownership cannot reach a compensation agreement through negotiation, each party enters a final submission and during a formal hearing each side — player and management — presents its case and then the designated panel of arbitrators chooses one of the salary bids with no other result being allowed. This method has become increasingly popular even beyond the sport of baseball.