Newsletter – Issue 23 – March 2019
The OpenChain Project has active bi-weekly calls and a central mailing list that provide the “nuts and bolts” of our community activity. These are joined by various releases of documents and announcements of OpenChain-related events throughout each month. We collect key developments in this newsletter once a month.
Introduction
Collaboration is Key for Open Source Compliance at NHS
One of the powerful things about open source is the way it allows various organizations and stakeholders come together to achieve common objectives. Open source projects play a critical role by providing a common platform that can integrate with new and existing systems. This is even more apparent when discussing open source compliance and aligning the various stakeholders in an open source supply chain.
A great example of this is a recent NHS case study published on openchainproject.org. NHS England is the public health services provider in England that treats more than 1.4 million patients every 24 hours. The organization needed a way to manage and leverage their open source assets across the organization without vendor lock in. Our partners at Source Code Control proposed the OpenChain Specification and brought us in to work with the Apperta Foundation, Code4Health initiative, OpenEyes, and AB EHR Digital for a training and pilot program.
The result enabled the project participants to meet open source industry best practices. It also helped NHS take the first step in a broader deployment plan across multiple projects and providers in the coming months and years. Thank you to all of our partners and we look forward to future collaboration in healthcare, automotive, and many more industries as they increasingly adopt open source. Read the NHS case study.
OpenChain @ Outreach
Open Source is Eating the Startup Ecosystem: A Guide for Assessing the Value Creation of Startups
In the last few years we have witnessed the unprecedented growth of open source in all industries—from the increased adoption of open source software in products and services, to the extensive growth in open source contributions and the releasing of proprietary technologies under an open source license. It has been an incredible experience to be a part of.
As many have stated, Open Source is the New Normal, Open Source is Eating the World, Open Source is Eating Software, etc. all of which are true statements. To that extent, I’d like to add one more maxim: Open Source is Eating the Startup Ecosystem. It is almost impossible to find a technology startup today that does not rely in one shape or form on open source software to boot up its operation and develop its product offering. As a result, we are operating in a space where open source due diligence is now a mandatory exercise in every M&A transaction. These exercises evaluate the open source practices of an organization and scope out all open source software used in product(s)/service(s) and how it interacts with proprietary components—all of which is necessary to assess the value creation of the company in relation to open source software.
Being intimately involved in this space has allowed me observe, learn, and apply many open source best practices. I decided to chronicle these learnings in an ebook as contribution to the OpenChain project: Assessment of Open Source Practices as part of Due Diligence in Merger and Acquisition Transactions. This ebook addresses the basic question of: How does one evaluate open source practices in a given organization that is an acquisition target? We address this question by offering a path to evaluate these practices along with appropriate checklists for reference. Essentially, it explains how the aquirerer and the target company can prepare for this due diligence, offers an explanation of the audit process, and provides general recommended practices for ensuring open source compliance.
If is important to note that not every organization will see a need to implement every practice we recommend. Some organizations will find alternative practices or implementation approaches to achieve the same results. Appropriately, an organization will adapt its open source approach based upon the nature and amount of the open source it uses, the licenses that apply to open source it uses, the kinds of products it distributes or services it offers, and the design of the products or services themselves
If you are involved in assessing the open source and compliance practices of organizations, or involved in an M&A transaction focusing on open source due diligence, or simply want to have a deeper level of understanding of defining, implementing, and improving open source compliance programs within your organizations—this ebook is a must read. Download the Brief.
OpenChain @ Announcements
OpenChain Project Adds Fujitsu as Platinum Member
Leading Japanese information and communication technology company to support industry’s only open source compliance standard for collaboration across supply chains
SAN FRANCISCO & HALF MOON BAY, Calif. – OPEN SOURCE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT – March 13, 2019 — The OpenChain Project, which builds trust in open source by making open source license compliance simpler and more consistent, announced today at Linux Foundation’s Open Source Leadership Summit (OSLS), that Fujitsu has joined as a Platinum member.
Fujitsu joins other recent Platinum member additions including Bosch, Microsoft, Uber, Google and Facebook. OpenChain provides a specification as well as overarching processes, policies and training that companies need to be successful in managing open source license compliance so that it becomes more efficient, understandable and predictable for participants of the software supply chain.
As code flows between companies that consume billions of lines of open source software through their supply chains to build new products and services, a key challenge is ensuring the relevant license requirements are met in a timely and effective manner. The OpenChain Project provides a consistent way to address that and other challenges. Conformance with the OpenChain Specificationshows that an organization follows the key requirements of a quality open source compliance program, and builds trust between organizations in the supply chain. It makes procurement easier for purchasers and preferred status easier for suppliers.
“Fujitsu has been a long supporter of open source communities and the Linux Foundation; we believe open source compliance is crucial factor for open source collaborations,” said Kaneshige Kenji Vice President, and Head of the Linux Development Division, Platform Software Business unit of Fujitsu. “We’re excited to join the OpenChain project to foster trust in open source supply chain and encourage greater compliance for open source software rapidly increasing in our society.”
“We are delighted to have Fujitsu join the OpenChain Project as a platinum member,” said Shane Coughlan, General Manager, OpenChain. “Their expertise and support will be crucial as we continue to build our industry standard for open source compliance in the supply chain. I am particularly excited to gain access to the substantial knowledge Fujitsu possesses in areas like IoT and cloud technology.”
As a Platinum member, a representative from Fujitsu will join the OpenChain Governing Board. Other Platinum members of the OpenChain project include Adobe, Arm Holdings, Bosch, Cisco, Comcast, Facebook, Google, Harman International, Hitachi, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Siemens, Sony, Toshiba, Toyota, Uber, and Western Digital.
Additional Resources
About the OpenChain Project
The OpenChain Project builds trust in open source by making open source license compliance simpler and more consistent. The OpenChain Specification defines a core set of requirements every quality compliance program must satisfy. The OpenChain Curriculum provides the educational foundation for open source processes and solutions, whilst meeting a key requirement of the OpenChain Specification. OpenChain Conformance allows organizations to display their adherence to these requirements. The result is that open source license compliance becomes more predictable, understandable and efficient for participants of the software supply chain.
About The Linux Foundation
Founded in 2000, the Linux Foundation is supported by more than 1,000 members and is the world’s leading home for collaboration on open source software, open standards, open data, and open hardware. Linux Foundation’s projects are critical to the world’s infrastructure including Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, and more. The Linux Foundation’s methodology focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit us atlinuxfoundation.org.
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The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see our trademark usage page: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.
Contact
Jill Lovato
The Linux Foundation
jlovato@linuxfoundation.org
OpenChain @ Reference Material
Updated Intro Slides – OpenChain – Great Open Source Compliance For Everyone
The latest version of the OpenChain Project introduction slides are available. These slides can help bring anyone interested in our standard and supporting material up-to-speed. Full speaker notes included on the downloadable version.
Get the Slides
Reference Open Source Policy Template in Japanese
The OpenChain Project is delighted to announce that our reference open source policy template is now available in Japanese. This document helps the open source program office or legal team (or individual responsible) in any company to formulate great open source policies to suit their needs.
This document, as with all reference documentation published by the OpenChain Project, is available under CC-0 licensing terms. This means it is effectively public domain and you can use it for any purpose.
Get the Open Source Policy Template
Announcing OpenChain Specification 1.2 in Simplified Chinese
The OpenChain Project is delighted to announce the immediate availability of the OpenChain Specification 1.2 in Simplified Chinese. This translation is the work of dedicated volunteers, on this occasion lead by Tan Zhongyi (Jerry) from Baidu along with his colleague Zhang Weiling along with Li Jingze (Jane) from Tilburg University. Our endless thanks!
With this release the OpenChain Project can offer access to the latest version of our specification to companies across the greater China region. We launched this document at the Asian Legal Network on March 22nd, which also marked the beginning of our OpenChain China Work Group. The future is bright.
Get the OpenChain Specification 1.2 in Simplified Chinese
Get other OpenChain translations
OpenChain @ Localization
Sony, Program Offices and OpenChain – from Asian Legal Network Shenzhen
‘The Tools of Governance – Program Offices and Collaboration between Companies’ is a talk delivered by Fukuchi San and Kobota San from Sony at the March 22nd Asian Legal Network event in Shenzhen, China. This talk explains how Sony engages with and supports a vibrant collaborative community in Japan through the OpenChain Project.
Get the Slides
Summary
Outreach in Korea and improved reference material to help explain options around process content set the tone for an outward-facing, pro-active year that will see OpenChain dramatically expanding its engagement with companies around the world.
License and Trademarks
Copyright 2019 The Linux Foundation. This newsletter is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0). Please feel free to share it onwards! OpenChain is a trademark of The Linux Foundation. It may be used according to The Linux Foundation Trademark Policy and the OpenChain Terms of Use. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.
