Sessions at TransferSummit 2011 about Contracting on Wednesday 7th September

When engaging with open source organisations, lawyers and business people alike face a learning curve. Issues in the world of open source are different from a proprietary software deal. For both business people and their lawyers, there is not only the challenge of brining open source into a previously closed environment, but the difficulty of understanding why some of the contract issues may be different and how these are dealt with. From the lack of need for an escrow agreement where the code is public, to the obligation to comply with the licences in the code, contracting in the world of open source is much easier with a basic understanding of why there are differences and what these are.

In this session Amanda Brock, General Counsel for Canonical, will examine the concerns and rationales that drive these differences and will describe more measured strategies for managing the perceived risk. Amanda will explain and help create an understanding of the issues, to facilitate both business and legal advisers' careful management of service agreements (whether for development or support) relating to open source software use can ensure a company can successfully use open source software.

As a co-author of the FSFE's European Legal Network, Contract Risk Grid, Amanda will walk you through contract issues, terms and solutions.