Cost of Free

  • General Public Licensing = GPL, can be impacted by Patents
    • Using GPL software basically prohibits you from getting rights to charge for software and patents
    • "open source" --> any work should be free code and can be shared
    • vs "patent" --> anyone who uses the idea/patent pays royalty
    • there are even jobs where people analyze the code produced to check if they can charge royalties for the use of their patents
  • Black Duck = a software composition analysis that helps companies and teams manage security, quality, and license compliance risks that come from the use of open source code, and third-party code used in apps and containers

License Communities, License Types Guide

  • Authors determine license; even GitHub has different licenses
    • Do I want to waive default copyright in reuse?
    • Do I want to allow derivative works or not?
    • Do I want to require all derivative code to be shared?

Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal

  • CCO Public Domain dedication waives copyright interest in any work you've created and dedicates it to the world-wide public domain

Open Source MIT License

  • Allows using code freely
  • Allows making and distributing closed source versions

Open Source GPL License

  • Lets people do anything they want with your project
  • you CAN'T distribute closed source versions

Protecting Company Code

  • Software companies institute practices to deliver their code in parts
  • they isolate their patent and secret code
  • company that protects patents might need to division engineers, split distribution code, etc.
  • customers of the derivative work have to put the code back together again to make it work
  • Developers/engineers need to comply with the terms of licenses --> CITE SOURCES
  • DRM = digital rights management
    • software that's built by music and movie companies to protect, play, and distribute their content
    • ex. subscription services use this
    • illegal sites for movies/TV bypass the DRM software to allow free plays and downloads

In Class

  • Open Source is good for educational use
    • Companies and individuals trying to make money need to figure out techniques and business models to use Open Source software according to terms of license, while still keeping the prospect of making profit in mind

Examples of Business Models

All businesses pull from open source software!

  • Red Hat

    • Couldn't sell its Linux distribution because the terms of their license were GPL
    • They established a business model around buying their support agreement
    • Became a public company and had a good IPO (initial public offering)
    • Free distributions

  • Qualcomm

    • Mixed patent and GLP businesses
    • Abandoned all proprietary
    • included Android in business model

5.5 Hacks Questions

1. When you create a GitHub repository it requests a license type. Review the license types in relationship to this Tech Talk and make some notes in GitHub pages.

  • Apache License 2.0

    • requires preservation of copyright and license notices
    • contributors provide an express grant of patent rights
    • Licensed works, modifications, and larger works may be distributed under different terms and without source code
    • commercial use, modification, distribution, private use
    • no trademark use liability
    • no warranty

  • GNU General Public License v3.0

    • strong copyleft license
    • makes complete source code of licensed works and modifications under the same license, including larger works
    • copyright and license notices must be preserved
    • contributors provide an express grant of patent rights

  • MIT License

    • requires preservation of copyright and license notices
    • licensed works, modifications, and larger works may be distributed under different terms and without source code

  • BSD 2-Clause "Simplified" License & BSD 3-Clause "New" or "Revised" License

    • similar to MIT License
    • "New" comes with a 3rd clause that prohibits others from using the name of the copyright holder or its contributors to promote derived products without written consent

  • Boost Software License 1.0

    • only requiring preservation of copyright and license notices for source (and not binary) distribution
    • Licensed works, modifications, and larger works may be distributed under different terms and without source code

  • Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal

    • waives copyright interest in a work you've created and dedicates it to the world-wide public domain
    • allows you to opt out of copyright entirely
    • disclaims warranties

2. Make a license for your personal and Team project. Document license you picked and why.

For my personal repository, I picked the Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal License, because I want my work to be accessible to all.