[OSGeo-Discuss] Liability Issues For Companies SupportingOpenSource Development

[Landon Blake]

Thanks Bob.

 

Landon

Office Phone Number: (209) 946-0268

Cell Phone Number: (209) 992-0658

 

 

________________________________

From: discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org
[mailto:discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org] On Behalf Of Moskovitz, Bob
Sent: Thursday, April 02, 2009 1:59 PM
To: OSGeo Discussions
Subject: RE: [OSGeo-Discuss] Liability Issues For Companies
SupportingOpenSource Development

 

I wonder if the California State Department of Boating and Waterways
support of Starspan (see
http://starspan.casil.ucdavis.edu/doku/doku.php) might give you a lead.

 

Bob Moskovitz 
Research Analyst I 
Seismic Hazard Zonation Project
California Geological Survey 
http://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/shzp

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 -----Original Message-----
From: discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org
[mailto:discuss-bounces at lists.osgeo.org]On Behalf Of Landon Blake
Sent: Thursday, April 02, 2009 11:45 AM
To: OSGeo Discussions
Subject: [OSGeo-Discuss] Liability Issues For Companies Supporting
OpenSource Development

	I'm curious about the type if liability issues a company might
open itself up to by supporting open source software development. Let me
give you a scenario:

	 

	A graphic design company decides it will sponsor some
development of the SVG editor Inkscape. It puts out an RFP for the
functionality it would like added to the program. It sets up a source
code repository for these changes, hires a company/individual developer
to perform the work, and works with the community to integrate the
improvements back into the main development trunk.

	 

	What legal liability might this introduce the company to?

	 

	Is there an article or paper that discusses this question? I'm
working on small business support for an open source project, and I know
one of the first objections I will run into is "we don't want to be
liable for any programming effort we support financially".

	 

	Any suggestions?

	 

	Landon

	 

	 

	
	
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