Shane Coughlan delivered a speech entitled ‘Practical Economic Engagement with Free and Open Source Software’ at OSC Tokyo between 10:15 and 11:00 on Friday the 30th October. Details of his speech are available here.

The speech was well-attended and was followed by a series of private meetings.  This marked Opendawn’s first major engagement with the Japanese developer community, and provided an opportunity to build bridges between Eastern and Western experts.  Of particular interest was the IPA’s work in sponsoring new development, the research being made available by AIST, and the governance activities being undertaken by large telecommunication corporations.

For more information about code governance, how companies can adhere to FOSS requirements, and Opendawn’s services in this area please contact us.

Shane Coughlan (Opendawn) and Armijn Hemel (Loohuis Consulting) published an article on LWN.net.

“Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) allows all stakeholders to use, study, share and improve code for commercial or non-commercial reasons. However, engagement can still appear daunting to companies. They are monetizing other people’s creations, and, with the high economic value of FOSS, making a mistake is less easily forgiven than it might be in non-commercial circumstances.

Fortunately, there is a substantial body of documentation available to help commercial stakeholders learn how FOSS licenses work, how to communicate effectively to resolve issues, and how to understand what expectations might exist beyond simple legal requirements. There are also several organizations acting as neutral educators dedicated to licensing, development, and governance issues.“

You can read the full text on LWN.net.

For more information about code governance, how companies can adhere to FOSS requirements, and Opendawn’s services in this area please contact us.

Shane Coughlan produced a review of the WIPO WCT and WPPT copyright treaties for Yeshey Lham at the Intellectual Property Division (IPD) of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Kingdom of Bhutan.  This review was focused on the implication of the treaties for Information Technology and the emerging Information Society.

For more information about the relationship between copyright, Information Technology and Information Society, and Opendawn’s services in this area, please contact us.

Shane Coughlan will deliver a speech entitled “Practical Economic Engagement with Free and Open Source Software” to the Ruby City Matsue Project between 18:30 and 20:30 on the 16th of October.   This is with the kind invitation of Professor Noda on behalf of OSS Shimane Council.

More information is available from:
OSS Shimane Council Secretariat
Network Applied Communication Laboratory, Matsue 478-18 Terrsa 2nd Floor Annex, Matsue, Asahi-cho, 690-0003, Japan.
TEL: +81 (0) 852-28-9298 / E-Mail: info@shimane-oss.org

For more information about the economics of FOSS, its practical application and Opendawn’s services in this area please contact us.

From today Shane Coughlan will act as Senior Advisor to Free Software Foundation Europe’s legal department and the associated European Legal Network.

His role will encompass the development of a growth strategy for the department and network, identification of external supporters for these services for FSFE’s permanent staff, and representing the organization towards donors, at industry events, public meetings and private functions.

For more information about Opendawn’s services in the area of FOSS strategy planning, network development and organizational representation please contact us.