Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%
Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.
Striking Back: Patent Retaliation Clauses in Open Source Software Licenses
Open source software is distributed under more than 60 recognized licenses (see www.opensource.org). One of the most popular open source licenses, which is used to distribute open source programs such as Linux, MySQL and Samba, is the GNU General Public License, generally considered to be the most restrictive of all open source licenses. The GPL, as it is commonly known, requires that an open source program distributed under the license be redistributed together with all modifications free of charge and with the accompanying source code. That restriction ensures that the public will be able to benefit from subsequent improvements to open source programs and prevents the development of improved “proprietary” closed source versions of programs licensed under the GPL.
As a license, however, the current GPL goes only so far in protecting the freedom to use and modify open source programs. Software patents, for example, can be wielded by licensees to assert proprietary rights to open source software without violating the current GPL, and therefore conflict with the aim of the GPL to preserve the freedom of all to use and modify open source programs.
Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It
Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough
There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later
The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.
A Lawyer's System for Active Reading
Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.
Blockchain Domains: New Developments for Brand Owners
Blockchain domain names offer decentralized alternatives to traditional DNS-based domain names, promising enhanced security, privacy and censorship resistance. However, these benefits come with significant challenges, particularly for brand owners seeking to protect their trademarks in these new digital spaces.