Open Source Software Licensing/Legal Track

OSDL announces the creation of a Open Source Software Licensing & Legal education track at its upcoming Enterprise Linux Summit

January 31 through February 2, 2005 in Burlingame, CA.

Beaverton, Ore. - December 27, 2004 - The Open Source Development Labs (OSDL), a global consortium dedicated to accelerating the adoption of Linux® in the enterprise, today announced the creation of a Open Source Software Licensing & Legal education track at its upcoming Enterprise Linux Summit - January 31 through February 2, 2005 in Burlingame, CA. The track will focus on OSS Licensing and the impact of OSS on enterprise computing as its use becomes more prevalent.

''Currently there are knowledge gaps among some of the most Open Source-savvy users about how OSS licenses work,'' said Diane Peters, General Counsel for OSDL. ''Open Source Software affords users extensive flexibility with respect to usage and distribution. But each license carries certain obligations that must be understood.''

The OSDL- Enterprise Linux Summit legal track is designed to cover a range of OSS License topics necessary to help attendees make more informed choices about OSS acquisition and use. An application is pending for approval of this activity for MCLE credit by the State Bar of California. The track consists of the following tutorials and conference sessions:

Open Source Licensing Strategy Instructor: Larry Rosen, Attorney, Rosenlaw & Einschlag

Open Source Licensing Implementation Ira Heffan, Associate, Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault, LLP Karen Copenhaver, EVP and General Counsel, Black Duck Software

Open Source Licensing Issues Larry Rosen, Attorney, Rosenlaw & Einschlag

OSS Licensing and Best Practices Karen Copenhaver, EVP and General Counsel, Black Duck Software

GPL v.3 - Issues of Substance and Process Prof. Eben Moglen, Columbia Law School; General Counsel (pro bono), Free Software Foundation

SCO Litigation: Implications for OSS Jim Harvey, Partner, Alston & Bird LLP

The tutorials and conference sessions were developed by and for lawyers involved in the OSS industry, and for those whose business interests include OSS in the future. Attendees who would benefit from this specialized legal education track are those who work for or advise OSS users and developers. This includes corporate and outside legal counsel for IT vendor companies, line of business mangers for OSS/Linux product companies, corporate counsel and outside legal counsel for enterprise users of OSS/Linux and OSS/Linux-based products.

OSDL's Enterprise Linux Summit is scheduled to take place January 31 - February 2, 2005 in Burlingame, CA, USA. As a whole, the Summit conference sessions are designed to address the needs of senior level IT managers, corporate developers, ISVs and others who want to learn more about successful enterprise deployment of Linux solutions and how to successfully integrate Linux into their overall IT infrastructure. For a schedule of conference tutorials, sessions and more details, visit http://www.osdllinuxsummit.org/index.htm.

OSDL is a member-supported, non-profit organization dedicated to the acceleration of Linux. The Enterprise Linux Summit is sponsored by OSDL and its member companies. The base conference fee is $595.00. A $50.00 off the base price, early bird discount is available to all until December 17, 2004. A $100.00 discount off the base price is exclusively available to OSDL members. Base prices for the tutorials are $250.00 per half day session, or $400.00 for the full day. To register, visit http://www.osdllinuxsummit.org/.

About the Open Source Development Lab

OSDL - home to Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux - is dedicated to accelerating the growth and adoption of Linux. Founded in 2000 by CA, Hitachi, HP, IBM, Intel and NEC, OSDL is a non-profit organization at the center of Linux supported by a global consortium of more than 60 of the world’s largest Linux customers and IT industry leaders. OSDL sponsors industry-wide initiatives around Linux in telecommunications, in the enterprise data center and on corporate desktops. The Lab also provides Linux expertise and computing and test facilities in the United States and Japan available to developers around the world. Visit OSDL on the Web at http://www.osdl.org/.

OSDL is a registered trademark of Open Source Development Labs, Inc. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Third party marks and brands are the property of their respective holders.