In ever-growing numbers, CIOs want to take advantage of the many benefits that free and open-source software have to offer their companies.
But there’s a snag. Their lawyers can be grouchy when it comes to open-source. They claim opening the door to open-source software carries unacceptable legal risk. Many imply naively or wrongly that proprietary software doesn’t carry its own risks. Some describe open-source software in pejorative terms and repeat the biased conclusions of well-financed FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) programs. They point to assertions made by high-profile CEOs that proprietary software companies will soon come knocking on their doors looking for money to compensate them for intellectual property that open-source allegedly infringes.
Link: Computerworld
