An overview of the basics of international licensing with informative material about the various practices of all aspects of the licensing industry. It includes information that will help those new and experienced to hone their licensing skills. The book provides a worldwide perspective of the industry and is the definitive guidebook for anyone who is interested in capitalizing on this potentially lucrative market.

"I have studied Rosen's book in detail and am impressed with its scope and content. I strongly recommend it to anybody interested in the current controversies surrounding open source licensing." --John Terpstra, Samba.org; cofounder, Samba-Team "Linux and open source software have forever altered the computing landscape. The important conversations no longer revolve around the technology but rather the business and legal issues. Rosen's book is must reading for anyone using or providing open source solutions." --Stuart Open Source Development Labs A Complete Guide to the Law of Open Source for Developers, Managers, and Lawyers Now that open source software is blossoming around the world, it is crucial to understand how open source licenses work--and their solid legal foundations. Open Source Initiative general counsel Lawrence Rosen presents a plain-English guide to open source law for developers, managers, users, and lawyers. Rosen clearly explains the intellectual property laws that support open source licensing, carefully reviews today's leading licenses, and helps you make the best choices for your project or organization. Coverage includes: Explanation of why the SCO litigation and other attacks won't derail open source Dispelling the myths of open source licensing Intellectual property law for nonlawyers: ownership and licensing of copyrights, patents, and trademarks "Academic licenses" BSD, MIT, Apache, and beyond The "reciprocal bargain" at the heart of the GPL Alternative licenses: Mozilla, CPL, OSL and AFL Benefits of open source, and the obligations and risks facing businesses that deploy open source software Choosing the right license: considering business models, product architecture, IP ownership, license compatibility issues, relicensing, and more Enforcing the terms and conditions of open source licenses Shared source, eventual source, and other alternative models to open source Protecting yourself against lawsuits

Full of valuable tips, techniques, illustrative real-world examples, exhibits, and best practices, this handy and concise paperback will help you stay up to date on the newest thinking, strategies, developments, and technologies in licensing intellectual property. Order your copy today!

The book wraps up with a look at the legal effects--both positive and negative--of open source/free software licensing.

Licensing is a multi-billion dollar industry. More people than ever are involved with intellectual property transactions and arrangements in everyday business. Anyone using, selling, transferring, giving, or obtaining permissions to use a product protected by intellectual property law can benefit from this book. It serves as an introduction and guide to reviewing, writing, and negotiating most of the licenses and agreements necessary to turn intellectual property into profit. Whether you are a business owner, inventor, engineer, artist, writer, photographer, or freelancer-The Complete Licensing Kit will give you a better understanding of your intellectual property rights and the processes of licensing and permission.

The second volume of the Basics of Licensing series, this book expands on the various licensing topics examined in the first, but from the contrasting perspective of the licensor or property owner. It provides a comprehensive overview of the unique considerations and steps a licensee should take in securing a license, developing a licensed product, and achieving distribution. The focal points addressed include selecting the right license for a product, best practices in product development, ethics and social compliance of licensing management, and more. In addition to the core commentary, this edition also features new administrative templates and licensing form agreements derived from actual transactions, tailored specifically for the licensee.

This volume provides guidance on information acquisition, including copyright and contract matters.