Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and other Alternative License Models: A Comparative Analysis

✍ Scribed by Axel Metzger (eds.)

• Publisher: Springer International Publishing
• Year: 2016
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 505
• Series: Ius Comparatum - Global Studies in Comparative Law 12
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

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.

✦ Table of Contents

Front Matter....Pages i-xii
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
General Report....Pages 3-48
Front Matter....Pages 49-49
License Contracts, Free Software and Creative Commons – An Overview of the State of Play in Belgium....Pages 51-76
Free Open Source Software and Creative Commons in Brazil: Mapping the Legal Framework of Alternative Intellectual Property Licenses....Pages 77-104
Alternative Licensing Contracts in Croatian Copyright Legislation....Pages 105-127
The Cypriot Law of Contract Applied to Free Software and Creative Commons: A Work in Progress....Pages 129-139
Free Licenses and Recodification of Civil Law in the Czech Republic....Pages 141-157
License Contracts, Free Software and Creative Commons in Denmark....Pages 159-170
Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Licenses and Other Alterative Licenses Under Finnish Law – Hybrid Contracts Including Both Copyright and Contract-Related Elements....Pages 171-183
The French Copyright Law Opens Its Arms to the FOSS....Pages 185-200
License Contracts, Free Software and Creative Commons in Germany....Pages 201-226
License Contracts, Free Software and Creative Commons in Greece....Pages 227-234
License Contracts, Free Software and Creative Commons in the Hungarian Law....Pages 235-250
Free Software and Creative Commons Licenses in Italy: A Work Still in Progress....Pages 251-269
Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and Other Alternative License Models in Japan....Pages 271-291
Legal Issues on Free Software and License Contracts: A Malaysian Perspective....Pages 293-309
Fitting the Bill: FOSS and Alternative Copyright Licensing in the Netherlands....Pages 311-338
Licence Contracts, Free Software and Creative Commons in Poland....Pages 339-356
License Contracts, Free Software and Creative Commons in Portuguese Law....Pages 357-370
Legal Regime of Free Software in Romania....Pages 371-385
Legal Issues on FOSS and Other Alternative Licenses in Korea....Pages 387-410
Front Matter....Pages 49-49
Free Software, Creative Commons and Alternative Licenses: Spanish Perspectives....Pages 411-429
Legal Development in an Industrial Context – FOSS in Taiwan....Pages 431-443
Turkish Copyright Law on Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Licenses....Pages 445-460
FOSS and Alternative Licensing in the United Kingdom – Assessing the Dual Importance of Contract Law and Copyright Law....Pages 461-475
The Uncertain Legal Status of Free and Open Source Software in the United States....Pages 477-493
Back Matter....Pages 495-507

✦ Subjects

Private International Law, International & Foreign Law, Comparative Law; Legal Aspects of Computing