The OpenChain Project, which is attempting to bring a little more clarity to the turbulent world of modern open-source licensing, is the latest beneficiary of Microsoft’s open-source redemption tour.
Read more in GeekWire.
Microsoft has joined the OpenChain Project as a platinum member to support standardization in open source compliance. OpenChain project makes open source license compliance simpler and more consistent for organizations. As a member of the OpenChain Project, Microsoft will help create best practices and define standards for open source software compliance. This will allow enterprises to use Microsoft and other open source technologies together in heterogeneous environments. Microsoft will also join the OpenChain Governing Board which already includes members from Adobe, ARM Holdings, Cisco, Comcast, Facebook, GitHub, Google, Harman International, Hitachi, Qualcomm, Siemens, Sony, Toshiba, Toyota, Uber and Western Digital.
Read more in MSPowerUser.
Microsoft Corp. wants to support more standardization of open-source software licensing, so today it’s putting its weight behind the OpenChain Project as its latest platinum member.
Microsoft joins other platinum members that include Google LLC, Arm Holdings Ltd. and Facebook Inc., as well as GitHub Inc., which Microsoft acquired last year.
The OpenChain Project was set up to bring more clarity to the world of open-source software licenses. Open-source software has revolutionized the way in which companies build the technology they need to run their businesses, but licensing issues remain a big headache for their legal teams. In a constant state of panic over potential litigation issues, businesses need assurances that the open source they use is in compliance with whatever rules govern its use.
Read more in Silicon Angle.
The recently released OpenChain M&A Checklist has inspired discussion and further contribution to the project. Ibrahim Haddad has just announced a new draft M&A White Paper discussing open source processes in detail. At this time we are seeking review and comments ahead of a projected March release.
Review the Draft Text
One of the most common questions asked by participants in the OpenChain Project community is “what type of open source compliance training program does your company have?” Contributors in our Japan Work Group have collaborated to make some case studies available in English and Japanese:
Precision Machinery Company
- https://github.com/OpenChain-Project/Onboarding-JWG/blob/master/CaseStudy/Training/OSS-Training-Program-1.md
IT Company
- https://github.com/OpenChain-Project/Onboarding-JWG/blob/master/CaseStudy/Training/OSS-Training-Program-2.md
Consumer Electronics Company #1
- https://github.com/OpenChain-Project/Onboarding-JWG/blob/master/CaseStudy/Training/OSS-Training-Program-3.md
Consumer Electronics Company #2
- https://github.com/OpenChain-Project/Onboarding-JWG/blob/master/CaseStudy/Training/OSS-Training-Program-4.md
Please note these are “raw” case studies. They will be formatted and re-released in due time.
Additional Resources
The OpenChain Project is delighted to announce that our reference open source compliance training slides in the Korean language have been updated. They now reflect the latest text to support OpenChain Specification 1.0, 1.1 or 1.2 conformance. In a nutshell, these public domain slides can help any company anywhere do a health check on their training.
Get the Slides
- Get the reference training slides in PDF format
- Get the reference training slides in PPTX format (editable)
Learn More
The OpenChain Project is proud to announce that the latest version of the OpenChain Specification is available in Korean. The OpenChain Specification 1.2 is the simplest, quickest way for any company to identify and adopt the key requirements of a quality open source compliance program. It is supported by reference material to help people fill in process gaps, with our newly announced Korean training slides being an example.
Get the Specification
Learn More
The OpenChain Project is delighted to announce that the latest version of the OpenChain Specification is available in Italian. The OpenChain Specification 1.2 is the simplest, quickest way for any company to identify and adopt the key requirements of a quality open source compliance program. It is supported by reference material to help people fill in process gaps. Anyone can check their conference via our free online app.
Get the Specification
- Get the official Italian translation of the OpenChain Specification 1.2 (PDF format)
- Get the official Italian translation of the OpenChain Specification 1.2 (MarkDown format)
Check out our reference material
Access our free conformance web app
Learn More
The OpenChain Project Japan Work Group has launched five sub-groups to explicitly build reference materials around topic areas like business workflows, bills of material and tooling. Hitachi hosted the first sub-group meeting covering License Information Exchange on the 29th of January. Topics included practical reviews of production tooling and specification material by companies like Hitachi and Fujitsu.
The team lead is Yuji Nomura. The membership contains Masato Endo, Mutsumi Abe, Shigeki Matsumoto, Hiroki Takemi, Hiroyuki Fukuchi, Atsuhiro Yamaoka, Norio Kobota, Satoru Koizumi, Yoshiko Oouchi, Teppei Asaba, Aasaki Ambai, Yuichi Kusakabe, Yoshiyuki Ito, Teruaki Ito, Toru Taima, Shinsuke Kato and Fumiko Ito. The sub group expects to produce outcomes in English and Japanese over the coming months.
The OpenChain Project will be represented by Kato San, one of our community volunteers from Panasonic, at the OSS Seminar in Osaka hosted by Grape Systems. He will be running session three, an exploration of our project and goals. Description in Japanese below.
セクション3 【パナソニック株式会社 加藤慎介 氏】
OSSコンプライアンスにおける企業間の連携活動 (OpenChain プロジェクト)
OSSの活用がますます進む中、OSSライセンスコンプライアンスへの対応プロセス等の構築は、企業がOSSを使った製品販売やサービスリリースをするうえで必須のこととなっています。これまで各企業が独自にプロセス・手法を開発するなどしてきましたが、これらに企業の枠を超えて取り組むプロジェクト(OpenChain)があります。今回は、OpenChainプロジェクトの概要と、日本企業での連携活動についてお話しします。
