Literature Review 0: Legal Issues Primer Chapters 1 and 2

Keeping it rolling with a review of the Handbook for the Business and Legal Aspects of FOSS class: A Legal Issues Primer for Open Source and Free Software Projects. Quite a Mouthful. I'm going to go with "The Primer" from this point forward. This will be reviewing the first two chapters in particular.

Who:

The Primer is written by a laundry list of who's who of FOSS: Richard Fontana, Bradley M. Kuhn, Eben Moglen, Matthew Norwood, Daniel B. Ravicher, Karen Sandler, James Vasile, and Aaron Williamson.

What:

The chapters of The Primer we are covering today detail much of the Primer is and some basic details on a couple of the many licenses that you can choose to file your project under.

Where:

You can find a copy of The Primer here.

When:

The Primer hasn't been updated in a while, but the last revision was put out in 2008.

The Gist:

The two chapters of The Primer that I am covering are detailing mainly what The Primer is and is not, as well as going into what certain licenses are meant for and a basic idea of when they should be used.

The Good:

1. Very clearly states that it isn't meant to replace sound legal advice.
2. Fairly easy to ready and clearly explains legal jargon.
3. Broaches several topics that are important for deciding your license.

The Bad:

1. Doesn't go too deep into many different licenses.
2. Slightly outdated.
3. Is a dry read, as expected of legal advice

Any Questions?

1. Why not include license X?
2. Why use the previous version of the GPL as opposed to the most recent?

In Conclusion:

Overall, The Primer was an okay read, but it offers sage advice that anyone who is planning on starting a FOSS project should definitely take a look at, at least to some degree. It will not replace proper legal counsel, but it can at least get you started on your way to knowing what is going on in the legal realm. 9.5 Lawyers/10

Video Review 0: Everything is a Remix

Time to get back into the swing of things with a video review: Everything Is A Remix

Who:

Everything is a Remix was made by Kirby Ferguson.

What:

Everything is a Remix is a 4-part video series detailing how...well...Everything is a remix of something else and how we create.

Where:

You can find Everything is a Remix here. You can also find the author's site, where he is also hosting other work here.

When:

Everything is a Remix was created over the course of 2011, with the last part released in December of that year.

The Gist:

Everything is a remix is a short documentary that is focused on showing how throughout modern history, our major breakthroughs are based on copying and improving upon existing ideas. Each part focuses on a different medium, from music, to movies, to technology.

The Good:

1. Highlights that no idea is entirely original
2. Individual parts are concise
3. Ideas are well formulated

The Bad:

1. Overall short length leaves many topics discussed very minor
2. Doesn't address issues with copyright law until very last part
3. Last part jumps around a large amount

Any Questions?

1. What are some of the more egregious things that have gotten away with being copied?
2. Are there more examples of things that were unfairly tried for their copying?
3. What are some of the ways that we are working to confront these issues?

In Conclusion

Overall, Everything is a Remix is a great conversation starter on the subject of copyright law and what it means to infringe upon the work of others. That said, it doesn't go in very deep detail and will be unlikely to do anything for those that are already invested in the subject. It should serve to enlighten a few more people about some of the dangers that intellectual property faces in the current age though. 8.8 Remixes out of 10.

Business and Legal Aspects of FOSS: First Flight

And so begins another chapter of schooling with the illustrious RemyD. First flight is always pretty easy assignment. I guess it is mostly just looking forward to what this class will have in store for us. It will hopefully be an enjoyable experience. This is a pretty short post overall since this is like the fourth time I've done a "First" flight.