Short answer: the Affero GPL (AGPL) closes the “SaaS loophole” in the GPL. If you use AGPL’d code in a service users reach over a network, you must make the source code available, even though you never “distribute” the software. You may have heard of this open source license. If
Whether copyleft reaches your code depends on how it is combined: static linking usually triggers it, dynamic linking and separate processes usually do not, and plug-ins are the close call.
Short answer: Three things: a written open source policy, a tracking process for the open source code and its license terms, and an annual review to make sure your developers actually follow the policy. If you operate a software-based business, you are likely using some open source code in your
Creative Commons is a free, standardized way to license copyrighted content from “All Rights Reserved” to “Some Rights Reserved,” and as a software company you should use it for your blog and marketing, never for your software or your documentation.
What the Linux Foundation’s compliance tools, checklist and SPDX give a proprietary software or SaaS company, and how to turn them into a working open source policy.