| Publisher | University of Houston | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Format | 717.0KB PDF | Date added | 23 Apr 2005 |
| Topics | Linux - Open Source, Network Security, Linux Server OS | ||
| Downloads | 25 | ||
Some free or open source software infects other software with its licensing terms. Popularly, this is called a viral license, but the software is not a computer virus. Popular open source software, including the GNU/Linux operating system, uses a license with this feature. This paper assesses the efficacy of broad infectious license terms to determine their incentive effects for open source and proprietary software. The analysis doubts beneficial effects. Rather, on balance, such terms may produce incentives detrimental to interoperability and coexistence between open and proprietary code. As a result, open source licensing should precisely define infectious terms in order to support open source development without countervailing effects and misaligned incentives.
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