Open Source Software: What Every In-House Counsel Should Know

Open source software (OSS) is ubiquitous in software development today, enabling technical innovation, productivity gains, and touching everything from big data and cloud to mobile and embedded. Control modules on the market today commonly include OSS components such as real-time operating systems, libraries, data interfaces, firmware, and display software.

The use of OSS is favorable, because it decreases the time to market and reduces cost. OSS in products must be distributed subject to certain legal terms and conditions. Engineers, developers and legal teams must understand exactly what OSS is in their products and what license terms it is subject to, what types of OSS is acceptable to their company and customers, how to comply with the applicable OSS license terms, and legal implications resulting from failure to understand and comply with OSS license terms.