OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Абстракт

This paper explores the connection between open source software (OSS) and
intellectual property (IP), analysing different topics such as patents, copyright, licensing and
legal disputed. It delves into different types of open source licenses, focusing on the permissive
and copyleft licenses, and analyses their effect on software developers. Furthermore, this paper
debates the adoption of open source software by companies and how it coexists with their
intellectual property policies. Major legal cases such as SCO Group vs. IBM, Oracle America,
Inc. v. Google LLC, and Jacobsen v. Katzer are analysed and examined with the goal of
illustrating the major intellectual property issues in the open source community. The paper
highlights the importance of contributor license agreements (CLAs), license compliance and
legal education in guaranteeing effectiveness in management of open source projects and
conflict resolution. Lastly, the content puts an accent on the importance of enforcement
instruments and collaboration in the software community in the direction of promoting
transparency, growth and efficiency of open source software.