* Black Duck ProtexIP/Development, ProtexIP/Registry
Black Duck Software launched a software product and service aimed at helping open-source software developers and enterprise users sort the intellectual property rights and open-source license conflicts that can pop up when intermingling open-source code, according to the vendor.
Black Duck Software launched a software product and service aimed at helping open-source software developers and enterprise users sort the intellectual property rights and open-source license conflicts that can pop up when intermingling open-source code, according to the vendor.
Launched as a company at LinuxWorld in New York in January, Black Duck announced the availability of its ProtexIP/Development and ProtexIP/Registry products.
The ProtexIP/Development product is software that enterprises can buy to scan all software running on a network and identify what is open source, what kind of licenses are associated with the code, and what conflicts may exist among any open-source licenses.
According to Black Duck, developers who use chunks of open-source code along with proprietary software in developing products may risk violating GPL or proprietary software licensing terms. Also at risk are the users of such products, this vendor claims.
Black Duck is also offering its database of open-source licenses and license conflict alerts available as a service with its ProtexIP/Registry offering. Here, software developers or enterprise users can view the license database, which includes more than 160 licenses, via a secure remote access connection.
For developers, the Black Duck products might be useful in ensuring the proper use of GPL-based – and other open-source licensed – software in products.
The offerings also seem to be targeted at users who have become deeply entrenched in open-source software through years of gradual rollouts, and are now a bit paranoid about licensing issues. The ProtexIP/Development product starts at $2,500 for an annual subscription seat. The Registry costs $1,000. A 30-day trial is available for both products.
