“The Open Source Initiative (OSI), the non-profit organization
that manages the Open Source Definition and certifies open-source
licenses, lists nearly 60 approved licenses on its Web
site—and at the rate they’re currently being added, that
tally may increase before you’ve finished reading this article. The
large number of licenses has led to confusion among the developers
and companies who use them and rancor among the lawyers who must
navigate their legal compatibility. The toughest chore still rests
with the OSI itself, however: reining in the proliferation of open
source licenses.“In a public presentation at the OSDL Enterprise Linux Summit
here yesterday morning, Lawrence Rosen, an attorney and a computer
specialist, offered a sampling of license requests he received via
e-mail as general counsel for the OSI…”