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
Short answer: whether GPL linking makes your code subject to copyleft depends on how the two are combined. Static linking usually triggers GPL obligations; dynamic linking, separate processes, and system calls usually do not; plug-ins are the genuine close call. If GPL linking is part of your build, reason about
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
Short answer: 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. Knowing how it works also keeps you from
Short answer: the Linux Foundation’s Open Compliance Program is a set of free tools and standards that help you use open source safely alongside your proprietary code. The most consequential piece is SPDX, the machine-readable software bill of materials, which has since become the backbone of today’s SBOM requirements. Here
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