Open Source Law DTU

Open Source Jura

Advokat Martin von Haller GrønbækPartner, Bender von Haller Dragsted

DTU Informatics, 16-12-2009

1onsdag den 16. december 2009

Martin von Haller Grønbæk

– Attorney-at-law, Bender von Haller Dragsted– Co-founder, Open Source Vendors Ass. (OSL)– Editorial board IFOSSLR– Co-founder, Creative Commons DK– Co-founder, Danish Internet Society Chapter

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– http://www.bvhd.dk– http://openlife.dk– http://www.vonhaller.dk– http://www.linkedin.com/in/vonhaller– http://www.23hq.com/mhg– http://www.slideshare.net/vonhaller– http://www.facebook.com/vonhaller

– [email protected]– [email protected]– [email protected]


http://www.bvhd.dk

http://www.bvhd.dk

http://suse.groenbaek.net/openlife

http://suse.groenbaek.net/openlife

http://www.vonhaller.dk

http://www.vonhaller.dk

http://www.linkedin.com/in/vonhaller

http://www.linkedin.com/in/vonhaller

http://www.23hq.com/mhg

http://www.23hq.com/mhg

http://www.slideshare.net/vonhaller

http://www.slideshare.net/vonhaller

http://www.facebook.com/vonhaller

http://www.facebook.com/vonhaller

mailto:[email protected]







–Legal500: “At IT boutique Bender von Haller Dragsted, Martin von Haller Grønbæk is the Danish expert on open source and emerging issues around Web 2.0 and internet law.”

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http://www.legal500.com/firms/15610/offices/16182

http://www.legal500.com/firms/15610/offices/16182

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Agenda

– Intro to open source– Open source law survey– Licenses– Patents og trademarks– Businessmodels– Questions


Agenda

–Intro to open source

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Open Sauce


“Free not as in free beer but as in

freedom”


Four freedoms


#1 Use the program as you

please


#2 Look into the source code


#3 Erase, change, add, modify and whatever


#4 Give, transfer, transfer the code freely


Communisme ?


Cancer?


Cathedral or ?


Bazaar?17onsdag den 16. december 2009


Give due credit!19onsdag den 16. december 2009

Names og persons• Free software• Open source• Linux• Free Libre Open Source Software

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Free vs. Open21onsdag den 16. december 2009

Linus, Tux and Linux22onsdag den 16. december 2009

FLOSS


Software or

networkstack


Open source at all levels• Internet• Operative systems• Databases• Webservers• Middleware• ERP applikations• Desktop applikations• Webapps

– Amazon– eBay– Yahoo– Facebook– Google

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Agenda

–Open source law survey

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Generel open source jura• Contract or license• Liability

– for licensor– for solution provider– for infringement of third party IPR– for defects

• Licensecompatability– between different OSS licenses– between “closed source” and OSS licenses

• Enforcement– Jurisdiction– Legal standing– Compensation

• Interpretation

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Copyleft– Copyleft or copyright– All OSS licenses allows modifications– Redistribution or distribution not a requirement– Comply with the copyleft term or discontinue the use of

the program– Recall distributed code– Comply with copyleft by making modifications’ source

code available– Make only available source code to the have received

the code– Not allowed to deny redistribution by agreement

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Derived works– “A work based upon an original work”– Modifications

• Improvements• Translations• Error corrections• Amendments

– Not collective works– Strong copyleft vs. Weak copyleft– Mozilla Public License v. 2

• File amendments– General Public Licence

• Combinations

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GPL


Combinations

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– Combinations to files to one application– Compilation of source code to object code

• Static links– Dynamic links by combination at run time level– Mechanism of communication – Semantics of the communication– Kommunikationssemantik– Output not covered– (Exc: GPL program copies text into output)– Output of language interpreter– (Exc: “bindings” interpreter to program)– Linus Torvald’s interpretation of GPL re. Linux– Remember starting point: Al combos are allowed


Distribution

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– GPL v2: Distribution– GPL v3: Propagation and Conveyance– In soft- and hardware– ASP loophole og network exception– Affero Public License– Contractors on/off-site– Outsourcing– Mergers and Acquisitions– Let recipient download the GPL’ed code


Escapes

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– Make deal with licensor– Replace code– Work around– GPL v3, sec. 8

• Termination notice– NDA: Developer can agree not to release changes at all– NDA: Developer can agree only to release changes to

customer


Enforcement

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– The GPL is enforceable!– Germany 2004: Netfilter/Iptables; 2006: D-Link– US 2007: BusyBox; 2008: Jacobsen vs. Katzer– SCO

– Copyright holder

– Injunction– GPL-VIOLATIONS.ORG

– Free Software Foundation

– (BvHD)


Compensation

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– Compensation under copyright– No penal damages or stipulated damages– Economic loss suffered by licensor– Rule of thumb: 2 x license fee– Fines– Legal fees


Agenda

–Licenses

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Open source initiative


Bruce Perens


Open source principperne

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– Free redistribution– Source code– Derived work– Integrity of The Author's Source Code– 5-10: Non-discrimination


Comply or call or don’t call it open source!


Open source licenses

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– Academic or permissive licenses– Apache License v2– MIT License– New BSD license– Copyleft, reciprocal or hereditary licences

– Weak copyleft– Artistic license v1– Eclipse Public License– Mozilla Public License v.1.1

– Strong copyleft– GNU GPL v1-3– GNU LGPL v1-3


Agenda

–Patents and trademarks

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Open source and patents


Software patenter

– “A set of exclusive rights granted by a state to an inventor or his assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for a disclosure of an invention”

– FSF: “a patent on any performance of a computer realised by means of a computer program"

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Patenter

– Open source licenses deals with copyright– Patents are not covered by the license– Open source licenses enables upstream and

downstream use otherwise prohibited by patents

– AntiTivoization• Restrictions on hardware• GPL v3: Only hardware for consumers

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Patent trolls


Open source and

trademarks48onsdag den 16. december 2009

Varemærker

– Once again: Licenses deals with copyright– No trademarks covered by the licenses– Trademarks are the commercial equivalent to

author’s integrity– Many open source business models are closely

tied to trademarks– Badgeware

• Umbraco• SocialText

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Agenda

–Business model

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LEGO Mindstorms


Intro

1 May 2006. LEGO press release

Hackers, Get Ready! LEGO Group Announces Open Source Firmware, Developer Kits for LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT

Consumer-directed robotics experience creation to enter “NXT” phase with open firmware, Software, Hardware and Bluetooth Developer Kits to launch in August

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Background

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– Mindstorms robots launched in 1998

– The best-selling LEGO product ever– Huge Mindstorm community– LEGO was and is not a software company– Only minor upgrades to the firmware– Several parallel Mindstorms OS’s


Challenges

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– LEGO was not comfortable with “openess”

– LEGO has been and is extremely reliant on strong IPRs

– You don't give away IPRs for free”– Turbulent period for LEGO in general– Third party software included


Solution

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– Embrace User driven innovation

– Open source as the enabler– Third party permission for redistribution under an

OS license– Choice of license

– ”Genuine” open source licence– Permissive (Academic) or Copyleft (reciprocal

license)


OSS licence choice

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– Mozilla Public license v. 1.1– Weak copyleft– Modification is limited altering the files– “I did not understand GPL v.2”– LEGO was only concerned with modifications of

the actual files


“Beautiful solution”

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– Huge press coverage and goodwill– Large number of downloads of code– Much more “intelligence” in the bricks– Convincing strategy towards competitors– Option to “close” the code again– Many more bricks sold!


Dual licensing


Dual licensing

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– The software company perspective– The same code is licensed under two different

licences:– MySQL Community Server: GPL v.2 with FOSS

exception– MySQL Enterprise: Commercial license


Ophavsmandens eneret

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– The owner can decide to release under any and as many terms she likes

– Dual licensing is only possible for owner's own modfications

– Or assigned modifications– Control is necessary to mitigate liability– ”Closing in” the code again


Ophavsret og kontrol

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– MySQL has exclusive copyright to the code– MySQL controls and certifies the code– The GPL does not give any rights to use MySQLs

trademarks


Hvorfor betale?

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– Certification of the code– Warranties– Maintenance and support– Copyleft exemption


Stadig ikke overbevist?

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–MySQL AB was in 2008 bought by Sun Microsystem, Inc. for approximately USD $1 billion in total consideration


Agenda

–Questions

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http://www.slideshare.net/vonhaller/cc-some-rights-reserved-12-11-2008-presentation/

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