Overview
- Brings into focus the legal issues raised by free and open source software (FOSS) licenses and other license models
- Highlights the legal questions raised by free and open source software (FOSS) licenses
- Shows the differences in the proofing of these licenses by courts in some jurisdictions
- Provides reliable information from 22 jurisdictions
Part of the book series: Ius Comparatum - Global Studies in Comparative Law (GSCL, volume 12)
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Table of contents (25 chapters)
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Front Matter
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General Report
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Front Matter
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National Reports
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Front Matter
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Keywords
- Code of the Linux kernel
- Comparative law
- Contract law and copyright law
- Copyright legislation
- Copyright statutes
- FOSS - Free Open Source Software
- FOSS and alternative licensing
- Free Software and creative commons
- License contracts
- Mozilla Public License
- Non-exclusive license
- Public law regulations regarding FO
- Specific public procurement regulations
- Trademark conflicts concerning FOSS
- World's most important IT-markets
About this book
This book discusses the main legal questions raised by free and open source software (FOSS) licenses and other alternative license models, such as Creative Commons. The legal questions raised by FOSS and other alternative licenses have been the subject of an intense international debate among legal scholars and practising lawyers in the last years. Courts in different jurisdictions have confirmed that the core features of FOSS licenses are compliant with the respective applicable laws and thus enforceable in the respective jurisdictions. What is still missing so far is an in-depth comparative analysis of the legal issues raised by FOSS, Creative Commons and other alternative license on a worldwide scale. This book presents a general report on FOSS licenses and alternative license models to establish common ground and enable comparison between jurisdictions. The general report is followed by 24 national reports covering the world's most important IT-markets. General and national reports use the same structure to facilitate the comparison. The book shows that despite the differences in their origins, all FOSS projects use detailed licenses for the organisation of their communities. It also shows the differences in the proofing of these licenses by courts in some jurisdictions and the tailor-made provisions established by some legislators to solve the legal issues raised by the license model.
Editors and Affiliations
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and other Alternative License Models
Book Subtitle: A Comparative Analysis
Editors: Axel Metzger
Series Title: Ius Comparatum - Global Studies in Comparative Law
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21560-0
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: Law and Criminology, Law and Criminology (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-21559-4Published: 08 December 2015
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-79351-1Published: 30 March 2019
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-21560-0Published: 30 November 2015
Series ISSN: 2214-6881
Series E-ISSN: 2214-689X
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XII, 507
Number of Illustrations: 4 b/w illustrations, 5 illustrations in colour
Topics: Private International Law, International & Foreign Law, Comparative Law, Legal Aspects of Computing