Risks of Open Source Software

The risks of open source software

In closed source software, copyright is never a serious issue as the only developer of that particular code is the one who surely has the copyright and full access to the coding. On the contrary, when software uses open sourced model, then copyright is a very complex matters. Even when there are several licenses offered for you to choose, copyright issue is something that open source developers don’t understand. The absence of open source software law and regulation can lead to disadvantages for the owner.

Open source is a valuable addition for technology because once such software is released, public can benefit from the app. Each software can be downloaded and used by anyone. The open source system allows users to choose whether to use or to develop the software. Open source coding is getting popular due to the higher reliability and no vendor lock-in. And for the particular reasons, open source coding has revealed some risks, too.

Proving infringement is difficult

Copyright infringement was used to be easy to prove. That was before copyright includes software and advanced technology that comes with it. It is hard to protect the real developer since open source software allows several contributors to make some tweaks. The more parties contribute to the act, the harder it is to prove the infringement. Granting license is also difficult since they don’t know if a developer creates a valid contract or not.

There are two common types of infringements in open source application.

• The source code is used without the permission of the owner
• The use of licensed components without the permission of the owner

The second issue is even harder to identify since a component can be very small.

A patent may destroy the development of open source software

As a developer, you need to distribute the source code of the program for others to modify. However, for commercial software that has developed the coding, the term may require them to make the software available for free as well.

You can’t stop bad people from using your software

Open source clearly specifies that there is no discrimination against person or group. Thus, it gives the freedom for anyone to develop your program, including the people who intend to do something bad.

In a nutshell, today’s patent system is not meant to protect open source software. It exists to prevent patent infringement. It doesn’t settle the root of the problem since legal system has not yet form a regulation that explicitly protects open source software. If one software with such system of coding contains a license, there is a huge possibility that user who modifies and redistributes the software is considered guilty.

Despite the risks of such software, there are still many others benefits you can obtain from using the program. The risks become real issue when you are the developer. However, if you intend to use the software to help your daily activity, then it won’t be a huge matter.