Tips on picking right OSS license
20.05.12
Open source software (OSS), like any other software, is protected by copyright and its usage is governed under a license. As such, it is important enterprises pay attention to considerations, such as how much freedom they need with regard to developing on the source code or whether they plan to monetize the software, before deciding which license to use.
According to Mike Knapper, partner at U.K.-based law firm Norton Rose, there are many different open source code bases serving a range of different purposes and operating under different license terms. The more commonly used ones are GNU General Public License (GPL), Apache and Perl, but Knapper pointed out that discussions should not revolve around which license to use but which one suits the company's or developer's purposes.
"The key thing that companies need to understand when using OSS is that the code is protected by copyright, just like any other software, and so a license is needed to use it," he explained. "It is crucial to understand what the terms of the OSS license ."
Source: ZDNet Asia