Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home IT Management
    • IT Management
    • Servers

    Black Duck Hunts Open Sources Legal Pitfalls

    By
    Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
    -
    January 16, 2004
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Black Duck Software Inc. has a different idea to help software developers avoid legal woes: an auditing and management tool for detecting and managing proprietary and open-source code in programs.

      The company will demonstrate a beta version of its software at this weeks LinuxWorld in New York and said the final product should ship “early in the second quarter.”

      In light of The SCO Group Inc.s legal claims that its Unix code has been incorporated into Linux, the mixing of open and proprietary code has become a growing issue for independent software vendors. In theory, the presence of open-source code deeply linked into a software product could render the entire package subject to an open-source license. The reverse—closed source within an open-source program—could also lead to intellectual-property troubles.

      With these concerns in mind, Black Duck founder and CEO Doug Levin in December 2002 decided to start looking at technical ways to approach possible legal pitfalls. “We did a whole lot of market research in the first quarter of 2003, and we saw that there was both a clear need for some kind of approach and developers were aware of this,” Levin told eWEEK.com. “So in April, we started working on the programs architecture.”

      Black Ducks isnt the only effort being made to sort out open and proprietary code. Eric Raymond, one of the open-source movements founding fathers, has created Comparator and Filterator, a pair of tools for quickly finding common code segments in large source trees. Black Duck is attempting to create a program that not only finds common code segments but identifies which software license applies to them.

      “I recognized enormous gap in intellectual-property rights were not being addressed in the development cycle, in large part because of the communications gap between developers, project managers and business managers,” Levin said. “Frequently, project managers didnt know enough about open source to know if there was a problem. They become the hub between development teams and a companys legal departments.

      “So, in one case, when a problem was uncovered late in the development cycle, it resulted in a six-week delay. What Black Duck wants to do is to get rid of the friction between management levels and to minimize IP software risks.”

      Levin emphasized, “This isnt just for open source; its for proprietary as well. We also want to help people find reusable code in their projects.”

      Its an unusual project, and so far, Black Duck has survived on private funding. However, Levin confirmed that “were now looking for venture capital. We felt it was important to have a product and customers before seeking VC money. We wanted to be on our best footing and not repeat the dot-com mistakes of having only ideas and no product.”

      The Chestnut Hill, Mass., company also is working on major partnerships with auditors as well as software and hardware vendors. However, Levin said, “We cant announce anything yet. People have bought into the concept, and they want to see it work. The people were talking to see a great demand for this kind of program. Were seeing interest from our potential partners both for their software-development customers and for their own internal programming needs.”

      Black Duck is also seeing interest from IP legal and insurance firms. It is getting legal advice from Foley Hoag LLP, a Massachusetts-based, 240-attorney law firm, and other firms in developing its products.

      Levin is already looking beyond the companys first release. “We want to develop software around IP risk management. Were in the business for the long haul. We hope to have expanded product line for vertical industry segments and horizontal players. We expect our first customers to be government agencies, large enterprises and software vendors.” He said Black Duck also expects business from companies dealing with software outsourcers: “Many U.S. companies are putting trust in programming in foreign countries, but they dont know if theres any IP risk in this software. Our programs will help protect them.”

      Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
      I'm editor-at-large for Ziff Davis Enterprise. That's a fancy title that means I write about whatever topic strikes my fancy or needs written about across the Ziff Davis Enterprise family of publications. You'll find most of my stories in Linux-Watch, DesktopLinux and eWEEK. Prior to becoming a technology journalist, I worked at NASA and the Department of Defense on numerous major technological projects.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×