Hacking the Patent System: Open Source and Patents

With approximately 400,000 software patents in force, patents are a constant risk for software developers.Patents are particularly challenging for free and open source projects because, unlike copyright, a product can infringe a patent even if the developers did not copy the patent owner's work. Daniel Nazer will discuss various strategies for helping to both mitigate risk and promote free and open software development. These include defensive aggregators, patent pledges, and defensive patent licenses. Daniel will talk about some of the costs and benefits of the different approaches as well as the ongoing movement for patent reform.

To participate in this program, please select the Open Source Legal Training option during registration.