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OpenChain Welcomes OSADL As An Official Partner

By News

OSADL is the latest official partner of the OpenChain Project. OpenChain maintains ISO/IEC 5230, the International Standard for open source license compliance.

“The OpenChain Project is delighted to begin our formal relationship with OSADL,” says Shane Coughlan, OpenChain General Manager. “There are thousands of companies operating open source compliance programs across the world, and we are seeing convergence on ISO/IEC 5230 for efficiency, effectiveness and resource optimization. OSADL is well-positioned to help ensure the automation industry will be at the forefront of this development in the coming months and years.”

Carsten Emde, General Manager of OSADL, was delighted when he learned that OSADL was accepted as OpenChain service partner and pointed out: “After having executed a large number of audits and given numerous training courses on open source license compliance, we have learned a fundamental lesson: The most important prerequisite for a company to become license compliant is to establish suitable company processes. OpenChain and OSADL look back on a long shared history of activities to help companies do exactly this. The today’s conclusion of an official partnership between the two organizations is the obvious next step to intensify our cooperation and to improve our services for the good of all.”

About OSADL

The Open Source Automation Development Lab (OSADL) eG is a Germany-based organization intended to promote and coordinate the development of open source software for the machine, machine tool, and automation industry. https://www.osadl.org/

About the OpenChain Project

OpenChain began when a group of open source compliance professionals met in a conference lounge and chatted about how so much duplicative, redundant open source license compliance work was being done inefficiently in the software supply chain simply. They realized that while each company did the same work behind the scenes in a different manner the output for downstream recipients could not realistically be relied on because there was no visibility into the process that generated the output.

The answer the early principles of this discussion arrived at was to standardize open source compliance, make it transparent and build trust across the ecosystem. The project began as outreach to the community with the idea of a new standard for open source license compliance with slides titled, “When Conformity is Innovative.” A growing community quickly recognized the value of this approach and contributed to the nascent collaboration soon named The OpenChain Project.

OpenChain 2.1 is ISO/IEC 5230:2020, the International Standard for open source compliance.

By Featured, News

The Linux Foundation, Joint Development Foundation and the OpenChain Project are delighted to announce the publication of ISO/IEC 5230:2020 as an International Standard. Formally known as OpenChain 2.1, ISO/IEC 5230:2020 is a simple, clear and effective process management standard for open source license compliance. It allows companies of all sizes and in all sectors to adopt the key requirements of a quality open source compliance program.

Companies around the world can learn more about ISO/IEC 5230:2020, methods of self-certification, independent assessment or third-party certification, as well as access a large library of reference material at: https://www.openchainproject.org

ISO/IEC 5230:2020 is an open standard and all parties are welcome to engage with our community, learn from their peers, share their knowledge, and to contribute to the future of our standard. There is no charge to access and use our reference material, self-certification or to engage with our numerous calls, webinars, mailing lists and meetings.

“ISO/IEC 5230:2020 will improve OSS compliance, enhance trust in the supply chain, and reduce friction in transactions. It has been deployed as a de facto standard for four years and fostered exceptional engagement from a diversity of companies across multiple sectors,” says Shane Coughlan, OpenChain General Manager. “Our transition to a formal International Standard as ISO/IEC 5230:2020 marks an important inflection point for OpenChain and open source as a whole. For the first time there is an International Standard that defines open source compliance and process management. We look forward to expanding our community from hundreds to thousands of companies in the coming months, and we look forward to supporting many of these companies access and apply best practice material developed in real world market conditions.”

Toyota is the first company to formally announce conformance to ISO/IEC 5230:2020. Additionally, companies that have an OpenChain 2.0 conformant program will automatically conform with the requirements of ISO/IEC 5230:2020. You can learn more about the Toyota announcement here:
https://www.openchainproject.org/featured/2020/12/15/toyota-iso-5230

Arm

“Arm joined the OpenChain Project as a founding member because building trust across the supply chain and ensuring IP rights are fully respected has long been one of the highest priorities for Arm,” says Sami Atabani, Director of Third Party IP Licensing at Arm. “Establishing OpenChain as a formal ISO/IEC International Standard is an important milestone for open source governance as a field, and we look forward to collaborating with our peers and the wider open source community in seeking excellence and efficiency in software delivery.”

BMW CarIT

“At BMW CarIT we continually work on improving the quality of our processes,” says Helio Chissini de Castro, Senior Software Engineer at BMW CarIT. “We welcome the approval of ISO/IEC 5230:2020 as the right path for the future of software compliance and how companies will perceive it. We are proud to be part of the OpenChain governing board and wider community that make this possible.”

Bosch

“Bosch and its affiliates have a firm commitment to quality in all aspects of creating, deploying and supporting solutions and products,” says Hans Malte Kern, Head of the Center of Competence Open Source, Robert Bosch GmbH. “Our engagement with the OpenChain industry standard for open source compliance is part of this larger vision, and we are delighted to see it graduate ISO as a formal International Standard. We now have a global, universal and easily understood mechanism to build increased clarity and trust across the supply chain.”

Cisco

“Cisco is honored to partner with an incredible team on the OpenChain project. Earlier this year (June 2020), our conformance with the OpenChain’s latest 2.0 specification for open source compliance has been the needle mover towards streamlining compliance as an indispensable entity across our organization, building Trust and improving overall productivity,” says Prasad Iyer Director, Product Operations at Cisco. “Now with ISO/IEC standardization of this latest OpenChain specification, it really solidifies Cisco’s commitment to excellence in Open source governance along with OpenChain which is well positioned at the top of the Compliance stack. We’re sincerely looking forward to our continued collaboration and partnership with all our OpenChain project peers across industry in the successful evolution of more such formal standards in the years ahead.”

Fujitsu

“Fujitsu has contributed to the development of OpenChain as an industry standard for several years,” says Yasuko Aoki, Manager of Open Source Software Technology Center, Fujitsu Limited. “Our engagement is part of our broader engagement throughout the supply chain to promote excellence in governance and sustainability in practical deployment. The publication of OpenChain as a formal ISO/IEC International Standard is a significant milestone in the evolution of open source. We are proud of the accomplishment of all the contributors involved, and we look forward to the next steps in ensuring simple, reliable open source license compliance across the world.”

Google

“Google has been at the forefront of open source development and the use of open source in business since its inception,” says Max Sills, Lead Open Source Attorney at Google. “Our collaboration with the OpenChain Project has been an important part of supporting greater maturity and predictability in this space. The release of ISO/IEC 5230:2020 provides a clear path to future inter-company collaboration. Defining a standard for quality open source compliance lowers the cost of doing business, and makes it easier for the entire industry to comply with open source obligations.”

Microsoft

“OpenChain has played a leading role in building trust in the open source ecosystem,” said David Rudin, Microsoft Assistant General Counsel. “When you receive software that has been produced through an OpenChain conformant program, it’s a great indication that the open source compliance obligations were taken seriously. With Microsoft’s OpenChain conformant program, we are keeping the trust our customers have placed in us to make sure their software is compliant and reducing friction in software transactions. As OpenChain takes the next step of becoming an international standard, we’re looking forward to continuing to advance open source adoption and trust in the community.”

MOXA

“As the first Taiwanese company working with the OpenChain governing board, our work with the OpenChain Project is part of a larger vision for mature, sustainable open-source governance,” said David Chen, Engineering Director of the Technology & Research Corporate Division at Moxa. “Today’s announcement is a milestone in building efficiency and trust among companies using open source for innovative products and solutions. We look forward to working with our fellow board members in the deployment of OpenChain as an ISO/IEC International Standard to an audience of thousands of companies in the world.”

OPPO

“As a member of OpenChain, OPPO is very pleased to see OpenChain being accepted as an ISO/IEC International Standard,” says Andy Wu, Vice President of OPPO and President of Software Engineering. “We believe this will help to further promote open source compliance. OPPO very much hopes to promote OpenChain with its partners, so that open source compliance becomes more consistent and simple.”

Siemens

“Siemens is a founding member of the OpenChain Project and we have contributed to OpenChain since its beginning. Today we reached an outstanding milestone – the OpenChain specification is now an ISO/IEC International Standard,” says Oliver Fendt, Senior Manager Open Source. “Our engagement with OpenChain is based on a clear understanding that effective governance in open source must be practical, efficient, sustainable and affordable for everyone. With the ISO/IEC Standard we will enter a new stage in the evolution of our collective work, and we look forward to working with our peers in building further trust in the open source supply chain.”

Sony

“Sony has been part of the OpenChain industry standard and its related community for a substantial amount of time,” says Hisashi Tamai, SVP, Sony Corporation, representative of the Software Strategy Committee. “We have had the great pleasure to host the first meeting in Japan and support growth across this nation and abroad in the subsequent years. The publication of OpenChain by ISO as a formal International Standard is an important milestone in our shared mission to ensure excellence in open source. We look forward to working with our fellow board members, our diverse community and our colleagues at ISO in bringing this standard to thousands of new companies across the globe.”

Qualcomm

“This achievement by OpenChain brings into reality the effort that so many across the software ecosystem has recognized for years – that when you can build trust into the open source compliance ecosystem, you create a path towards consistent, efficient, and reliable license compliance,” says Dave Marr, Vice President, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “We applaud the many contributors to OpenChain for achieving this terrific milestone, and for collaboratively building the internationally recognized standard for open source license compliance.”

Uber

“Uber has supported the development and deployment of the OpenChain industry standard from its early stages to becoming today’s de facto standard,” says Matthew Kuipers, Senior Counsel, Intellectual Property at Uber Technologies. “Today’s publication as an ISO International Standard is a key milestone in bringing clear, practical and effective open source license compliance to thousands of companies across the supply chain. We look forward to collaborating with our peers in accomplishing this mission and supporting our growing international community.”

Western Digital

“Western Digital has been part of the development and deployment of the industry standard for open source compliance since its formative years,” says Alan Tse, Associate General Counsel at Western Digital. “Today’s announcement marks a significant milestone in the maturity of both this standard and the wider field of open source governance. We look forward to working with our fellow board members and the diverse community of community participants in the growing adoption of a single, simple way to identify quality open source compliance programs.”

Global Community Quotes

“Today is the historic day for the OpenChain project and The Linux Foundation that the open standard has become an ISO/IEC standard,” said Masato Endo, Chair of the OpenChain Automotive Work Group. “Open Source is becoming more and more important in the automotive industry as well. The automotive industry’s supply chain is large and every company in the supply chain needs to manage OSS properly. I believe the OpenChain Specification will be a strong support for companies to build their OSS governance structure. I’d like to thank David Rudin and members of the JDF community for their efforts in obtaining ISO/IEC. I want to express my gratitude to Mark Gisi, David Marr and all OpenChain community members for their significant contributions to the project. Finally, I congratulate our leader Shane Coughlan on this great achievement!”

About the OpenChain Project

OpenChain began when a group of open source compliance professionals met in a conference lounge and chatted about how so much duplicative, redundant open source license compliance work was being done inefficiently in the software supply chain simply. They realized that while each company did the same work behind the scenes in a different manner the output for downstream recipients could not realistically be relied on because there was no visibility into the process that generated the output.

The answer the early principles of this discussion arrived at was to standardize open source compliance, make it transparent and build trust across the ecosystem. The project began as outreach to the community with the idea of a new standard for open source license compliance with slides titled, “When Conformity is Innovative.” A growing community quickly recognized the value of this approach and contributed to the nascent collaboration soon named The OpenChain Project.

OpenChain Advent Calendar Day #14 – OpenChain Japan Working – Leaflet SubGroup

By News

This advent calendar has been created by our Japanese Work Group as part of their community outreach. We hope you enjoy their recap of compliance topics to end the year.

Leaflet SubGroupの活動紹介 / Introduction of Leaflet SubGroup acts.

今年も残すところ後半月となりました。今日は、ネットワーク・セキュリティ系のエンジニアの経験を活かし、今は自社でオープンソースプログラムオフィスの一員として、OpenChain Projectの活動に参加させていただいている小保田が、OpenChain Project 日本グループのleafletグループの活動について、少しご紹介させていただきます。

Today, I would like to tell you about the activities of the leaflet group of the OpenChain Project Japan working group. I’m Norio Kobota who is now participating in the OpenChain Project activities as a member of the open source program office of my company, making use of my experience as an engineer in the network security field.

リーフレットって何? / What is the leaflet?

リーフレットは、OpenChain ProjectのReference Materialから取得可能な、オープンソースソフトウェアを取り扱う際の注意事項について記述された簡単なガイドブックです。日本語版は、こちらのgithubより取得できます。
OpenChain Projectにおいては当初より、そのソフトウェアサプライチェーンにおけるOSSライセンスコンプライアンスの難しさが重要視されており、それを解決する一つの手段として、企業における様々な立場の方々にとって、分かり易い簡単なガイドブックが必要だと、Japan Working Groupのメンバは考えました。
その後、グループメンバーの協力の元、2019/04 日本語版、2019/05 英語版をJapan Working Groupより提供することが出来ました。また素晴らしいことに、このリーフレットは世界中で必要とされることとなり、各国のサブグループの協力の元、今では、中国語(繁体字、簡体字)、ベトナム語への翻訳も済んでいます

The leaflet is a simple guide book which describes useful information when dealing with open source software, available from Reference Material of OpenChain Project. You can obtain the Japanese version from github here.
In the OpenChain Project, the difficulty of OSS license compliance in the software supply chain has been emphasized from the beginning, and the members of the Japan Working Group thought that as a means to solve this problem, a simple guidebook that is easy to understand for people in various positions in the enterprise was necessary.
After that, with the cooperation of the group members, we were able to provide the Japanese version 2019/04 and the English version 2019/05The great thing about this leaflet is that it has become global, and thanks to the cooperation of various subgroups, Chinese(Traditional and Simplified) and Vietnamese versions are now available here.

リーフレットサブグループって何してるの? / What are the activities of the leaflet subgroups.

リーフレット作成が昨年で一通り落ち着いたこともあり、何かドキュメントを作成したりといった活動は、最近は殆どありません。そのため、昨年(2019)の活動を少し、紹介させていただきたいと思います。
分かり易いリーフレットが作成できた、という事実はとても大きなものですが、本来、私たちが推進したいこと、必要だと考えていることは、その知識を持つ方々を増やすことであり、多くの方がガイドブックを必要とする時に利用していただくことです。その為、私たちは様々な講演会などの場に、リーフレットを印刷して持ちこみ、その目的と必要性を伝えています。
例えば、Linux Foundationが開催するOpen Source Summit/Embedded Linux Conferenceや、電子機器の祭典である、CES、果ては日本のほぼ裏側で開催されたDebConf 2019など、それぞれが主業務などで参加する様々なイベントにこのリーフレットを持ち込み、紹介すると共にリーフレットの配布を行っています。

Because the creation of leaflets was settled last year, there are not many activities such as creating documents rececntly. For this reason, I would like to introduce the activities of (2019) last year.
The fact that we were able to create a leaflet that is easy to understand is a great achievement. However, what we think is really important is to increase the number of people with that knowledge, and to have many people use the guidebook when they need it. For this reason, we print leaflets for various lectures and introduce their purpose and necessity.
For example, the Open Source Summit/Embedded Linux Conference held by the Linux Foundation, CES which is a festival for electronic devices, and DebConf 2019, which was held in almost the other side of Japan, have introduced and distributed leaflets at various events attended by members of the Japan Working Group.

これから / Future

コロナ禍の影響もあり、今は活動自体は停滞中です。しかし、今後また執筆活動や広報活動を他のサブグループと一緒に行っていくと思いますので、ご興味のある方は是非、ご参加ください。
明日は、忍頂寺さんによる、OpenChain Spec2.1の内容紹介 第4弾です。お楽しみに!

Due to the effects of the COVID-19, this subgroup activity itself is currently stagnating. However, I would like to invite you to join us. We will do some writing and public relations activities with other subgroups.
Tomorrow is OpenChain Spec2.1, 4th introduction by Ninjoji-san. Look forward to it!

OpenChain Advent Calendar Day #13 – Opensource for ALL

By News

This advent calendar has been created by our Japanese Work Group as part of their community outreach. We hope you enjoy their recap of compliance topics to end the year.

1. Introduction

Hello. I’m Masato ENDO.
Today, I would like to introduce the topics related to Promotion SG of OpenChain Japan WG.

As you can see in the article on December 6, we found that although awareness of the importance of OSS compliance is gradually increasing, each company is struggling to secure resources.
In order to secure resources, it is essential to promote the understanding of executives.
Therefore, the Japan Patent Office and the Cabinet Office created “Open source for ALL” as a tool to educate management about the importance of OSS itself, and released it in June.
I also participated as a member in the Expert Committee for the preparation of this material.
So, I would like to introduce it.

You can access the materials from the links below.(Sorry, Japanese only)

・ Executive Summary of enlightenment tools (presentation materials)
・ Detailed report

2. Background of realization

The beginning of the story was that in May 2019, I made a presentation at the Intellectual Property Headquarters Verification, Evaluation, and Planning Committee, which is a policy meeting of Japanese government.
At this time, Mr. Nakauchi of the current Imabari City officer, who was at the Intellectual Property Headquarters at that time, was interested in it, and a committee of experts was formed.
Therefore, we decided to create OSS enlightenment materials for managers, and we asked Mr. Shinozaki of PwC, who was selected as the secretariat based on discussions at the committee, to compile the materials.
It is assumed that this material will be used as it is or arranged for use in internal executives and symposiums in which executives participate.
This material is supported not only by Japanese companies but also by foreign companies such as Google, Microsoft, Qualcomm, and Siemens.
I introduced these companies to the Committee through OpenChain connection.

3. Interesting information

Here, I will pick up and introduce the topics that I found interesting from the report.
In this survey, we conducted a questionnaire to the executives of the system development and software development departments of large companies, mainly non-IT companies, and added analysis from various angles.
Among them, what I am paying attention to is the figure below that summarizes the answers to the question “Will the expansion of OSS utilization expand in the future?”
As the result, we can confirm that executives in almost all industries responded that they would “expand in the future.”
On the other hand, in this report “It became clear that the approach to OSS was individual-dependent and that activity was sluggish overall.”
From the perspective of promoting DX, it is thought that the issue for Japanese companies will be how to systematically handle OSS in the future.
Overseas, it is becoming a trend to establish OSPO (Open Source Compliance Office), which is a specialized organization that formulates OSS utilization strategies and rules regardless of the type of industry.
At OpenChain, we have accumulated the know-how of leading companies overseas and in Japan, so if you have a need to deepen understanding within the company, please let us know! The project will support you free of charge.
(I also explained the importance of OSS community activities to the CTO of a IT company in such a context.)

4. Tomorrow’s theme is …

Tomorrow, Kobota-san will introduce the activities of Leaflet SG, which is creating an enlightenment leaflet for OSS compliance.
This leaflet has been distributed free of charge at events around the world such as CES2020 and has been very well received.
Stay tuned!

1. はじめに

こんにちは。
三度登場の遠藤です。
本日はOpenChain Japan WGのPromotion SG関連のトピックを紹介します。

12/6の記事にもありますように、OSSコンプライアンスの重要性への認識は少しづつ高まっているものの、
各社がリソーセスの確保に苦労していることがわかりました。
リソーセスを確保するためには、経営層の理解の促進が必須であると言えます。
そこで、経営層にOSSそのものの重要性も含めた啓発を行うためのツールとして「Opensource for ALL」を特許庁・内閣府が作成し、6月にリリースされました。
私も委員として本資料作成のための有識者委員会に参加しましたので、実現の経緯も含め紹介させて頂きます。

資料へは以下のリンクからアクセスできます。

・啓発ツール(プレゼン資料)のExective Summary
・詳細レポート

2. 実現の経緯

話の発端は、2019年の5月に私が政策会議である知的財産本部検証・評価・企画委員会プレゼンさせて頂いたことです。この際、当時知的財産本部にいらっしゃった現今治市の中内さんに関心を持って頂き、有識者委員会が結成されました。
そこで経営者向けのOSS啓発資料を作ろうということになり、委員会での議論を基に、
事務局に選出されたPwCの篠崎さん中心に資料をまとめて頂きました。
この資料をそのまま、若しくはアレンジして社内の経営層や、経営層が参加するシンポジウム等で利用することを想定しています。
本資料には日本企業だけでなく、GoogleやMicrosoft、Qualcomm、シーメンスなどの外国企業にも協力頂いてますが、
これらの企業はOpenChainつながりで私から事務局に紹介させて頂きました。


出典:https://www.jpo.go.jp/resources/report/takoku/document/zaisanken_kouhyou/2019_06_2.pdf

3. 興味深い情報

基本的には上記リンクからレポートをご参照頂きたいと思いますが、
ここではその中から私が興味深いと思ったページをピックアップして紹介します。
本調査では非IT企業を主とする大企業のシステム開発・ソフトウエア開発部門の幹部層へのアンケートを実施し、
様々な角度から分析を加えています。
その中で私が注目しているのは、「OSSの利活用の拡大が今度拡大するか?」という質問に対する回答をまとめた下記の図です。

ex02.gif

出典:https://www.jpo.go.jp/resources/report/takoku/document/zaisanken_kouhyou/2019_06_1.pdf

これを見ると、ほぼすべての業種の幹部が「今後拡大する」という旨の回答を行っていることがわかります。
その一方、本レポートでは
「OSSに対する取組が個人に依存し、かつ、全体として活動が低調であることが明らかとなった。」
という記載があり、DX推進の観点からも今後いかにして組織的にOSSに取り組んでいくのかが、日本企業の課題になっていくと考えられます。
海外では業種問わずOSSの利活用戦略策定やルール作りを行う専門組織であるOSPO(Open Source Compliance Office)を設置することがトレンドになってきてます。
OpenChainでは、海外や国内の先進企業のノウハウを蓄積していますので、社内の理解を深めたいというニーズをお持ちの方は是非お声がけください!プロジェクトが無償で支援いたします。
(私も、そのような文脈で某IT企業のCTOにOSSコミュニティ活動の重要性をご説明させて頂いたこともあります。)

4. 明日のテーマは・・・

明日は、OSSコンプラの啓発リーフレットを作成しているリーフレットSGの活動について小保田さんから紹介頂きます。
このリーフレットはCESなど世界中のイベントで無償配布され、大好評頂いているものです。
乞うご期待!

OpenChain Advent Calendar Day #12 – Commentary of spec v2.1 vol.3, §3.2

By News

This advent calendar has been created by our Japanese Work Group as part of their community outreach. We hope you enjoy their recap of compliance topics to end the year.

OpenChain Specification v2.1, Clause 2.

Today I am writing about the third part of the OpenChain Specification v2.1 Chap 3.2 (that is under the ISO/IEC pending). If you want to know the OpenChain Spec
correctly, please read the original documents from the linke at the end of this page.

Chapter 3.2.1 is about dealing with external inquiries, and requires that a third party has a reasonable path to contact the organization for OSS license compliance, and that the organization is prepared to respond to such inquiries.

Chapter 3.2.2 is about resources. Adequate staffing and resources should be allocated to compliance program-related roles, legal experts should be assigned, and a process for resolving concerns should be maintained.

OSS license compliance will continue to become more important, but it is necessary to make executives aware of its importance in order to ensure resources are available.

Tomorrow, Mr. Endo of Promotion SG will share with us some examples of such educational activities conducted for the public and private entities.

Resources (Links) / 関連リンク

OpenChain Specification v2.1 の紹介 §3.2

本日は、ISO/IECに申請中のOpenChain Specification v2.1の中身の紹介第3弾(2章)です。著者の適当な和訳ですので、本格的にOpenChain Specを知りたい方は巻末のリンクより原文をお読みください。

また、このページから見た方は OpenChain Japan Advent Calendar 2020 より他の記事もご覧ください。他の章や関連する情報が書かれています。

§3.2 Relevant Tasks Defined and Supported

2章では、OSS に関連する業務の定義とそれを実行するための支援に関する内容が書かれています。大きくは2つです。

§3.2.1 Access

2.1章は、”Access”という章題で、外部からの問い合わせ対応に関する章です。

  1. 外部からOSSに関する問合せるための方法(たとえば専用のメールアドレスとか)が公開されている。
  2. 問い合わせがあったときにどう回答するかの手続きを規定した文章が組織内部にある。

といったことが規定されています。つまり、OSSライセンスコンプライアンスに関して第三者がその組織にコンタクトできる合理的な手段があり、またその組織が当該問合せに対してきちんと対応するように準備がされている必要があります。

§3.2.1 Effectively resourced

2.2章は、”Effectively resourced”という章題で、リソースに関する章です。

コンプライアンスプログラム関連役割への適切な人員・十分な活動資源の割り当て、法律専門家のアサイン、懸案事項解決プロセスの整備を行うことが必要です。
OSSライセンスコンプライアンスは今後もより重要になってくるものであると考えられますが、リソースを確保するためには、経営層にその重要性を認識して頂く必要があります。つまり、

  1. コンプライアンスプログラムの業務が明確で確実に実行するために役割/担当/組織が決まっている
  2. 業務を実行する時間と十分な予算が配分されている
  3. ポリシーと支援業務に関して、レビューして更新するプロセスがある
  4. 必要なときにオープンソースのコンプライアンスについて法的な内容を話し合える専門家がいる(すぐ話せる相手がいる)
  5. オープンソースのコンプライアンス問題が発生した際に、それを解決するためのプロセスが規定されている

といったことを満たす必要があります。

つづく

明日は、そのような啓発活動を官民で行った例について、Promotion SGの遠藤さんから紹介いただきます。

OpenChain Advent Calendar Day #11 – OpenChain Japan WG – FAQサブグループの紹介

By News

This advent calendar has been created by our Japanese Work Group as part of their community outreach. We hope you enjoy their recap of compliance topics to end the year.

Introduction of FAQ subgroup

Today, I would like to introduce the FAQ subgroup of the OpenChain Japan WG.

FAQ Subgroup Activities

The FAQ subgroup creates and publishes “common misunderstanding FAQs related to OSS licenses“, which is mainly targeted at beginners of OSS licenses.

The members of the FAQ subgroup are consist of those who are in charge of OSS license consultation and license compliance support at each company / organization, those who are not in charge but are volunteer-based, and those who are about to start studying OSS licenses or those who are just starting (<-this is important).

There are various QA candidates, such as those that the members actually consulted, those that the members wondered, and those that are generally misunderstood.

How to make QA

To create a QA, first create a base for Questions and Answers using Slack and give your opinion. After that, the QA will be finalized by making corrections at a meeting (which used to be actually gathered, but recently it is online in view of recent circumstances). (<- This is actually the most fun because we have a lot of opinions and discussions.) Then, after confirming with the attorney attorney, we will publish it.

In this way, each QA is verified and nurtured from the perspectives of various companies, organizations, and roles, so I think that the QA collection is relatively homogeneous and has few mistakes.

It’s been about 10 years since I was involved in OSS licensing, but I’m still studying through this FAQ subgroup every time. In particular, I often get noticed from the perspectives and opinions of companies whose business types are different from those of my company.
People who participated for the purpose of studying also commented, “I am studying because I am trying to convey it in an easy-to-understand manner.” and “I will be able to understand by listening to the discussion.” and so on.

Conclusion

It’s been about 10 years since I was engaged in OSS license compliance, but I still study through this FAQ subgroup every time. In particular, I often get noticed from the perspectives and opinions of companies whose business types are different from those of my company.
People who participated for the purpose of studying also commented, “I am studying because I am trying to convey it in an easy-to-understand manner.” and “I will be able to understand by listening to the discussion.” and so on.

If you are interested in the activities of the FAQ subgroup, please join us at any time. Those who want to participate by trial rather than immediately, and those who can not contribute much to the creation of FAQ but want to participate for study purposes are also welcome.
For details, please contact japan-sg-faq@lists.openchainproject.org.

FAQサブグループの紹介

本日は、OpenChain Japan WGのFAQサブグループについてご紹介します。

FAQサブグループの活動

FAQサブグループはOSSのライセンスの初心者を主なターゲットとした、「OSSライセンス関連でよくある誤解FAQ」というものを作成・公開しています。

FAQサブグループのメンバーは、各所属企業・団体で日頃からOSSライセンスに関する相談対応やライセンス遵守支援を担当業務として行なっている方、本来の担当業務ではないがボランティアベースで相談対応されている方、そして、これからOSSライセンスを勉強を始めようとしている方、または、始めたばかりという方(←ここ重要)などで構成されています。

インプットとなるQAの候補も、メンバーの方が実際に相談を受けたもの、メンバーの方が疑問に思ったもの、一般的に誤解されがちなものなどさまざまです。

QAの作りかた

QAの作り方は、まずSlack上でQuestionとAnswerのたたき台を作成、意見出しをします。その後、会合(以前は実際に集まっていましたが 最近は昨今の事情を鑑みオンラインです)で再度揉みなおしてFIXします。(←喧々諤々議論をかわすので実はここが一番楽しい)そして仕上げに弁護士の先生にご確認いただいたものを公開するという流れで行っています。

このように一つ一つのQAをさまざまな企業・団体・役割の方の目線から検証して育てていますので、比較的均質で、また間違いも少ないQA集にできていると思います。

おわりに

私自身、OSSライセンスに関わるようになって10年ほど経ちますが未だにこのFAQサブグループを通じて毎回勉強させていただいてます。特に自分の所属企業と業種業態が違う企業さんからの目線やご意見から気づきをいただくことが多いです。
勉強目的で参加いただいている方からも、「わかりやすく伝える努力をしているので誤解が解けていくような感じがして勉強になる。」、「聞いてなるほどと思う。」などのご感想をいただいています。

FAQサブグループの活動に興味がある方はいつでもご参加ください。どっぷり参加ではなくまずは様子見したいという方や、FAQの作成にはあまり貢献できそうにないけど勉強目的で参加したいという方も大歓迎です。
詳しくは japan-sg-faq@lists.openchainproject.org まで。

Webinar: Michael Poe on His Journey to Open Source

By community, Featured, licensing, News, standards, Webinar

We heard from Michael G. Poe, a newcomer to the world of Open Source Compliance and current Sales Manager with FossID.  He shared his thoughts on his surprising journey from consumer products to software, and how the underlying principles of the open source community have enabled him along the way.  

Michael also touched on what he believes can be some of the challenges to the frictionless adoption of OpenChain conformance. And lastly, based on his experiences and learning agenda thus far, what are some areas that can be improved when it comes to Open Source, Compliance, and the tech industry in general.

Check Out The Rest Of Our Webinars

This is OpenChain Webinar #15, released on 2020-12-11.

OpenChain Advent Calendar Day #10 – Commentary of spec v2.1 vol.2, §3.1.4-3.1.5

By News

This advent calendar has been created by our Japanese Work Group as part of their community outreach. We hope you enjoy their recap of compliance topics to end the year.

Today, we will introduce the contents of the OpenChain spec v2.1 (Chapter 1.4-1.5).

Chapter 1.4 is about the scope of the OSS Compliance Program. Th e OSS compliance program gives you the freedom to choose whether it covers your entire organization or just some product lines.

Chapter 1.5 is a chapter on reviewing each OSS license within your organization. Organizations should establish a process for reviewing and documenting OSS license obligations, restrictions, and rights for each use case.
Reviewing OSS licenses in Chapter 1.5 is a very important task for an organization, but a difficult task for an unfamiliar organization.
Therefore, the FAQ subgroup of the Japan WG is working to publish “common misunderstanding FAQs related to OSS licenses” together.

Tomorrow we will introduce the activities of this FAQ subgroup.

本日は、OpenChain spec v2.1 の中身の紹介第2弾(1.4~1.5章)です。

1.4章は、OSSコンプライアンスプログラムの対象範囲に関する章です。OSSコンプライアンスプログラムは、組織全体を対象にしたり、一部のプロダクトラインのみを対象したりと、自由に対象範囲を選択することができます。

1.5章は、各OSSライセンスの組織内でのレビューに関する章です。組織はユースケースに応じてOSSライセンスの義務、制約、および権利についてレビューし、文書として記録するプロセスを定める必要があります。
1.5章のOSSライセンスのレビューは、組織にとって非常に重要な業務ですが、慣れていない組織にとっては難易度が高い業務です。
そこで、Japan WGのFAQサブグループでは「OSSライセンス関連でよくある誤解FAQ」を纏めて公開する活動を行っています。

明日はこのFAQ SGの活動を紹介します。

OpenChain Advent Calendar Day #9 – The Need for Skills Standards on OSS Compliance

By News

This advent calendar has been created by our Japanese Work Group as part of their community outreach. We hope you enjoy their recap of compliance topics to end the year.

The research team in OpenChain Japan WG about OSS compliance made academic presentations at two conferences, “Intellectual Property Association of Japan” and “Japan Society for Research Policy and Innovation Management” in 2020.

Today, I would like to introduce the “Framework for Skill Standards on OSS Compliance” presented at “Intellectual Property Association of Japan”.

Necessity of skill standards for OSS compliance

Work related to OSS compliance is complex and needs to be carried out in cooperation with various departments in the company, such as development and intellectual property departments.

On the other hand, OSS-related tasks are often relatively new to the people in each department, and therefore, in order to promote human resource development, we have developed a systematic index to clarify and systematize the skills required to perform these tasks. In other words, we thought a “skill standard” was necessary.

The skill standard framework for OSS compliance

The table below shows the framework of skill standards about OSS compliance. On the left side, tasks related to OSS compliance are extracted for each of planning, development, and maintenance (operation) of the system, and on the right side, tasks to be handled by each department are organized.

In this presentation, we have only presented the overall picture above. In the future, we will further subdivide each task, and organize the skills required to perform each task and the evaluation method.

Finally

The OpenChain Specification 2.0, which was adopted by the ISO, also defines the roles, responsibilities, and suitability of personnel to achieve OSS compliance in Chapter 1.2, and specifies that the results of the suitability assessment must be retained. (Article link.)

However, OpenChain does not mention the specific items and indices of what roles each department should play and how to evaluate each person in charge, and it is left to each company to decide. We hope to create a tool that can be used to facilitate compliance work.

Tomorrow, Mr. Shima of FAQ SG will introduce the contents of chapter 1.4 to 1.5 in OpenChain.

Advent Calendar、2回目の登場となる山田です。今回は、先日紹介した12/6に遠藤さんが投稿したOSSコンプライアンスの調査に関連する話題を投稿します。

OpenChain Japan WG Promotion SGの有志メンバーを中心に立ち上げたOSSコンプライアンスについての研究チームでは、2020年に「日本知財学会」と「研究・イノベーション学会」の2つの学会で学術発表を行いました。今日は、その中から日本知財学会で発表した「OSSコンプライアンスに関するスキル標準のフレームワーク(全体マップ)」について紹介しようと思います。(研究・イノベーション学会で行った発表に関しては、12/21の記事で土手さんから紹介いただく予定です)

*Please scroll down for the English version.

OSSコンプライアンスに関するスキル標準の必要性

OSSコンプライアンスに関連する業務は複雑かつ、開発部門や知的財産部門など社内の様々な部署が連携して実施する必要があるため、各部署に属する担当者が担うべき業務を適切に認識する必要があります。

一方で、OSSに関する業務は各部署の担当者にとって比較的新しい業務であることが多く、人材育成を推進する上で、当業務遂行に必要とされる能力を明確化・体系化した指標、即ち「スキル標準」が必要であるのではないかと考えました。

既存のスキル標準としては、ITスキル標準 、知財人材スキル標準、標準化人材スキル標準などがありますが、OSSコンプライアンス業務のスキル標準を策定するに当たり、社内の関係者が部署の枠を超え連携し、さらに他社や業界団体等と共に実施するという共通点を持つ「標準化人材スキル標準」を参考に、OSSコンプライアンス業務に関するスキル標準策定の第一歩として、業務遂行に必要となる細分化された業務フェーズを明確化し、スキル標準フレームワークを作成し、その内容を発表しました。

OSSコンプライアンスに関するスキル標準のフレームワーク

下の表が知財学会で発表したスキル標準のフレームワークです。左側でシステムの企画~開発~保守(運用)ごとにOSSコンプライアンスに関連する業務を抽出し、右側に各部門ごとに担当する業務を整理した形になります。

SharedScreenshot.jpg

今回の発表では上記の全体像を提示するところまでとなっており、今後は各業務をさらに細分化しつつ、各業務を実行するのに必要な能力やその評価方法などを整理していくことになります。

最後に

今回ISOに採択された「OpenChain Specification 2.0」においても、1.2章でOSSコンプライアンスを実現する人員の役割と責任および適性を定義し、その適性評価の結果を保管する必要があると規定しています。(記事リンクを貼る)

ただし、各部署がどのような役割を果たすべきか、各担当者をどのように評価すべきかの具体的な項目や指標についてはOpenChainでは言及されておらず、各社に委ねられている形となります。OSSの利活用が企業の競争戦略に重要となっている中、各社のOSSコンプライアンス業務を円滑に進めるために利用できるツールとして活用してもらえるものを作れればと思っています。

明日はOpenChainの中身(Specification)紹介第2弾として、FAQ SGの島さんから1.4~1.5章の内容について紹介いただきます。明日以降もぜひOpenChain Japan Advent Calendar 2020をご覧ください!

OpenChain Advent Calendar Day #8 – SWG活動紹介(Education)

By News

This advent calendar has been created by our Japanese Work Group as part of their community outreach. We hope you enjoy their recap of compliance topics to end the year.

Yoshitaka Iwata of Hitachi, Ltd. will be on duty for the Advent calendar on December 8th. I am the leader of the “Educational Materials for Role” SWG of the Open Chain Japan WG. Thank you in advance.
By the way, what are you careful about when using OSS? Also, what kind of structure and content will you use when conducting education for using OSS within the company or team? What should software developers know to use OSS need? In order to answer these questions, I decided to think about what kind of educational materials would be good for each role related to OSS. The following content is, of course, based on the Open Chain specifications and curriculum.

  1. Collection and analysis of education cases
    It seems that some companies have been educating on OSS even before the establishment of Open Chain. Therefore, we investigated the system, target member, form (lectures, group training, e-learning, material browsing, etc.), timing, and the existence of the English version of four companies. We analyzed the table of contents of each education and the outline of chapters / sections, and summarized the structure for software developers. The structure example is as follows.
    (1) What is OSS?
    (2) Intellectual property rights
    (3) OSS license
    (4) OSS compliance program
    (5) Examination when introducing OSS
    (6) OSS review
    (7) OSS distribution
    (8) Summary
    (9) Contact information
    (10) References / organizations
    First of all, we targeted software developers because we thought that software developers would be the first to use OSS internally or within a team.
  2. Development of examples of specific educational materials
    Actually specific examples of educational materials for software developers were examined by the “Educational materials for Role” SWG.
    (1) What is OSS?
    Considering software developers who have never used OSS, how about telling them about general OSS definitions, usage examples of OSS in the target business (different for each business targeted by the company or team), the advantages and disadvantages of using OSS, and others?
    (2) Intellectual property rights
    In particular, intellectual property rights related to OSS include copyrights and patent rights. Since OSS is software, each OSS is copyrighted. Copyright means the right to modify, distribute, and copy. I hope you can explain these things in an easy-to-understand manner.
    (3) OSS license
    Why don’t you explain copyright rights obtained by the OSS license compliance(in other words, it is necessary to protect the OSS license in order to modify, distribute), examples of OSS licenses, permissive OSS licenses, copyleft and reciprocal OSS licenses, etc?
    (4) OSS compliance program
    The Open Chain specification recommends creating an OSS compliance program consisting of policies, processes, training, tools, etc. First, let’s share the policy for using OSS within the company and within the team. (The policy may differ depending on the use cases of target businesses.) Next, let’s show the organization related to OSS and the role of each member related to OSS. Then explain how OSS-related processes (OSS listing, OSS review, OSS distribution review) are incorporated into our software development process.
    (5) Examination at the time of introduction
    Let’s explain the points to be noted in the characteristics of the license and the points to be noted regarding intellectual property rights (patent rights, etc.).
    (6) OSS review
    Let’s explain the information collected in the OSS review, the content of the review, the available tools, and others.
    (7) OSS distribution
    Let’s explain what precess will be applied to distribute OSS in the target business form, including examples. Also, explain the implications of improper use of OSS and lack of license information in the software supply chain.
    (8) Summary
    (9) Contact information
    (10) References / organizations
    I think that (9) to (10) are effective for deepening the understanding of OSS within the company and the team.

Then, especially if (2) and (3) are explained to software by using analogy to legal terms that are common within the company and within the team, software developers will understand more easily. Also, in (4) to (7), if you explain by applying it to the system within the company or team and the software development process actually used, I think that you can deepen the understanding of software developers. Please devise.

An example of actual educational materials is shown in the markdown format at the following URL. Please refer to.
Https://github.com/OpenChain-Project/OpenChain-JWG/tree/master/Education_Material/Training/chapters

Tomorrow, tech_nomad_ will talk by the title “Framework for Skill Standards on OSS Compliance”. Among the roles related to the use of OSS, what kind of skills each person in each role should have is a difficult theme, isn’t it? I am also very interested in this theme and am looking forward to it.

12月8日のアドベントカレンダを担当するのは、株式会社 日立製作所の岩田です。Open Chain Japan WGの「役割ごとの教育資料」SWGのリーダを担当しています。宜しくお願いします。
 さて、皆さんはOSSを利用する上で、一体何に気を付けていますか。又、社内やチーム内でOSSを利用するための教育を行う場合、どんな構成、内容にするでしょう。OSSを利用するソフトウェア開発者は、どんな事を知っておけば良いのでしょう。こんな疑問に答えるために、OSSに関係する役割ごとにどんな教育資料が良いかを、考えてみる事にしました。下記内容は、もちろんOpen Chainの仕様やカリキュラムを参考にしています。

1.教育事例の収集と分析
 Open Chainの設立前から、OSSに関する教育を実施している会社もある様です。そこで4社から、教育の体系、対象者、形態(講演会、集合研修、e-learning、資料閲覧、他)、タイミング、英語版有無、等を調べました。各教育の目次、章/節の概要を分析し、ソフトウェア開発者向けの構成を纏めました。その構成例は下記の通りです。
 (1)OSSとは
 (2)知的財産権
 (3)OSSライセンス
 (4)OSSコンプライアンスプログラム
 (5)OSS導入時の検討
 (6)OSSレビュー
 (7)OSS配布
 (8)まとめ
 (9)問い合わせ先
 (10)参考文献・団体
 先ずは、ソフトウェア開発者向けをターゲットにしたのは、OSSを社内やチーム内で一番最初に利用するのはソフトウェア開発者であると考えたからです。

2.具体的な教育資料の例の作成
 実際に具体的な、ソフトウェア開発者向けの教育資料の例を、「役割ごとの教育資料」SWGで検討してみました。
 (1)OSSとは
  OSSを一度も利用した事が無いソフトウェア開発者を意識して、一般的なOSSの定義や、対象としているビジネス上でのOSSの利用事例(会社やチームが対象としているビジネス毎に相違)、OSSを利用するメリットやデメリット、他について教えてあげてはいかがでしょう。
 (2)知的財産権
  特にOSSに関係する知的財産権は、著作権、特許権があります。OSSはソフトウェアなので、それぞれのOSSは著作権で保護されていています。著作権には、改変、配布(頒布)、複製する権利があります。これらの事が、わかり易く説明出来ると良いですね。
 (3)OSSライセンス
  OSSライセンスを守る事で著作権上で得られる権利(言い換えれば、改変、配布(頒布)するためにはOSSライセンスを守る必要があるという事)、OSSライセンスの例や、パーミッシブなOSSライセンス、コピーレフト・互恵的なOSSライセンスの特徴、等を説明してはどうでしょう。
 (4)OSSコンプライアンスプログラム
  Open Chainの仕様では、ポリシー、プロセス、トレーニングやツール等から成るOSSコンプライアンスプログラムを作る事を推奨しています。先ずは、社内やチーム内でOSSを利用する上でのポリシーを共有しましょう。(ポリシーは、対象とするビジネスのユースケース毎に異なるかもしれません。)次に、OSSに関係する体制、それぞれのメンバーがOSSに関係する役割を示してあげましょう。それから、自分たちのソフトウェア開発プロセスの中で、OSSに関係するプロセス(OSSリスト作成、OSSレビュー、OSS配布物確認)がどの様に組み込まれているかを説明しましょう。
 (5)導入時の検討
  ライセンスの特徴で注意すべき点、知的財産権(特許権他)に関して注意すべき点、を説明しましょう。
 (6)OSSレビュー
  OSSレビューでの収集する情報とレビュー内容、利用可能なツール、他について説明しましょう。
 (7)OSS配布
  対象とするビジネス形態の中で、その様にOSSが配布されるかを、事例も含めて説明しましょう。又、ソフトウェアサプライチェーンの中で、OSSの不適切な利用やライセンス情報の不足がもたらす影響について、説明しておきましょう。
 (8)まとめ
 (9)問い合わせ先
 (10)参考文献・団体
  (9)~(10)は、更に社内やチーム内でOSSに関する理解を深めるために有効だと考えています。

 それから、特に(2)、(3)は、社内やチーム内で共通している法律用語の解釈を使うと、よりわかり易くソフトウェア開発者に説明出来るかもしれません。又、(4)~(7)では、社内やチーム内の体制や、実際に使用しているソフトウェア開発工程に当てはめて説明すると、よりソフトウェア開発者の理解を深める事が出来ると思います。工夫して下さい。
 
 実際の教育資料の例を、マークダウン形式で下記URLに示しています。参考にして下さい。
 https://github.com/OpenChain-Project/OpenChain-JWG/tree/master/Education_Material/Training/chapters
 
 明日は、tech_nomad_さんが、『論文チーム(スキル標準)』というタイトルで語ってくれます。OSSの利用に関係する役割の中で、それぞれの役割の人がどういうスキルを持っていた方が良いか、ってなかなか難しいテーマですよね。私も大変興味あるテーマで、楽しみにしています。