This presentation addresses the fundamental concepts of open-source licensing as well as commonly used methods for commercializing and profiting from open-source software. The licensing discussion will include: an overview of the different categories of open-source licenses such as copyleft, weak (or file-level) copyleft, and permissive licenses; the obligations and restrictions commonly associated with the use of open-source software; an explanation of the copyleft effect of certain open-source licenses; and a discussion of community and private open-source license enforcement trends. The business-model discussion will identify the different methods that are commonly used to commercialize and profit from open-source software such as dual licensing, open core, open platform, and “freemium” licensing, and providing open-source support and services.
