About

While Free and Open Source Software development has tremendously benefitted from (open) technical standards, the variety of different FOSS licenses and the question of compliance with different license obligations still create too many friction points and high transaction costs. This is especially true for today’s software supply chain: Almost all companies active in the software industry receive software packages from various different sources to be implemented in their products before sold or licensed. Using FOSS in externally distributed products carries important responsibilities: Companies must ensure compliance with applicable license obligations at the same time they protect their intellectual property and that of third party suppliers and customers. Failure to comply with license obligations can result in severe consequences, such as loss of license, breach of contract, recall of shipped products, financial penalties and personal liability of corporate management.

The Software Compliance Academy helps companies to understand and manage legal risks associated with third party software. The Academy works closely with prominent law and consulting firms to support companies to establish high-level software compliance systems, train staff members, and to provide on demand consulting services.