Open Source is not a Business Model

While the report of that name is only available for purchase, a summary of its findings is available from this blog entry.

The two findings I found most interesting were:

1. “Open source is a business tactic, not a business model. Open source is not a market in and of itself, nor is it a vertical segment of the market. Open source is a software development and/or distribution model that is enabled by a licensing tactic.”


2. “There is very little money being made out of open source software that doesn’t involve proprietary software and services.”

Protecting Intellectual Property Rights in Software

This is the name of an upcoming lecture in the Colloquium Series. From the abstract:

The traditional distinction between Copyright as protection of expression and Patent as protection of inventive idea breaks down in the face of software creations which span these boundaries. Examination of the jurisprudence attempting to characterize these distinctions suggests strategies for using Copyright to protect business value in software property, where such value has been traditionally protected by a much more costly patenting process. The presenter concludes with some observations regarding the practical application of this analysis, and implications for IP management strategies.

The lecture is in Ottawa on November 6th and pre-registration is required for this free event. More details are here.