InternetWeek: Protecting Against Open Source Legal Risks

“Despite the popularity of open-source software, chances are you
don’t know how widely this software has penetrated your
company–and you likely aren’t aware of the substantial risks
involved. Perhaps the issue doesn’t seem like a big problem. By its
very nature, open-source software is supposed to be freely
available, modifiable, and shareable.

“Think again. In March 2003, the SCO Group filed a $1 billion
lawsuit against IBM, claiming that Big Blue infringed its
intellectual-property rights in Linux, the most popular open-source
operating system. Last month, a federal judge gave the SCO Group
until Jan. 23 to produce evidence supporting its claim against IBM.
As part of this battle, SCO is threatening direct litigation
against users of Linux. What’s worse, the SCO lawsuit likely
represents just the beginning of potential litigation involving
open-source software…”

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