[clug] Open Source Licensing

[Daniel Pittman]

George Bray <georgebray at gmail.com> writes:

> I need to understand more about open source licensing options for an
> application we want to release, so I'm wondering if CLUGers have any
> recommendations for current learning material.

You can find, and others have pointed to, various online material on the
topic.  This will help you have some idea what the licenses mean.

What you really want, though, is to talk to a lawyer who specializes in
the area — ideally open source, but even plain IP law would do — and
discuss your needs with them.

Without that specialized advice you run the risk of discovering that a
license doesn't cover all the issues you needed it to cover, such as
exposing you to liability in some parts of the world, allowing use you
didn't imagine of the code — or of related ephemera like the name, and
so forth.

IP law is hard, international law is hard, and this is at the sticky
meeting point of both of those.

Regards,
        Daniel