Open Source And The Law

The Legal aspects of open-source are virgin territory in India, thougha scorching topic globally despite stiff opposition from proprietaryvendors. In ‘Open Source and the Law,’ the author has attempted tocreate an awareness of open-source in India. With the adoption ofopen-source based systems such as Linux, Apache, the movementhas acquired the status of a cause celebre. While focussing on thehistory and philosophy behind open-source, the author urges theIndian policy makers to note the global developments in opensourceand introduce legislative changes that will be instrumentalin shaping the future of software development. Each of the chapters,be it the historical development and use or legalities of licensingagreements or lessons from the US for India, offer an insightful lookinto why the open-source movement has become an industry to bereckoned with.