This white paper will take an objective, neutral look at app development today and discuss open source license obligations that must be considered by app developers and app stores. It’ll highlight some of the compliance challenges and point out some of the resources available to assist those companies and app developers committed to respecting the open source community and fulfilling responsibilities.
White Paper main segments
Topics covered by this paper include the following:
- What does the market for apps look like today?
- What subject matter do apps typically address? What free and open source software (FOSS) content might we expect to find in the source code for such apps? Why is it difficult for someone other than the developer to know the exact FOSS content?
- What characteristics can we presume about app development activity? What might be different about app development (for FOSS compliance purposes)?
- What does FOSS compliance require? What compliance steps should be recommended for app development? What is incumbent on app developers? What is expected of app stores? Where and how can app developers find the FOSS content of the software they’re using? What should they be aware of when they incorporate FOSS into their software?
- What do the app stores impose on app developers for compliance and quality considerations other than FOSS compliance? What, if anything, do they require with respect to FOSS compliance?
- What aspects of FOSS compliance are unique for app developers or, at least, more challenging to achieve in the app development space?
- What can the Linux Foundation and others committed to compliance provide, in order to help make open source license compliance easier to achieve? What compliance resources are available or need to be available?
Conclusion
As has been discussed, thousands of exciting applications have been introduced into the marketplace for users of consumer devices to access. Some significant portion of these apps likely benefit from the inclusion of free and open source software. App developers and the app markets that distribute these apps must step up to their responsibilities to comply with open source license obligations:
- For app developers, compliance is straightforward: Start with knowing what FOSS is in your code and where it came from. Then identify the license terms and conditions that apply, and if there are any obligations, satisfy them.
- For app stores, understand the responsibilities that apply when developers use open source to implement their apps. Help educate app developers about their FOSS compliance obligations and provide them tools to make compliance simple to achieve. Integrate FOSS compliance concerns into the quality and conformance standards applied to app submissions. Identify and meet your own obligations as distributor of apps that may use FOSS.
- App consumers, too, have a role to play in open source compliance: Know what FOSS is used in the apps you purchase, or ask the app stores to identify what open source is used in the software. Feel free to exercise the rights guaranteed to you under FOSS licenses.
Full White Paper
Open Source Compliance in the Application Development Space - By The Linux Foundation