Comments on: Legal Issues in Social Media With David Fraser http://www.slaw.ca/2009/01/26/legal-issues-in-social-media-with-david-fraser/ Canada's online legal magazine Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:12:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Doug Floyd http://www.slaw.ca/2009/01/26/legal-issues-in-social-media-with-david-fraser/comment-page-1/#comment-716236 Doug Floyd Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:31:27 +0000 http://www.slaw.ca/?p=6046#comment-716236 Great post. I've think you've highlighted several important questions that all companies participating in social media should consider. I referenced your post in a article I wrote about some of the <a href="http://integracon.wordpress.com/2010/02/02/business-challenges-of-social-media/" rel="nofollow">challenges businesses faces regarding social media</a>. Great post. I've think you've highlighted several important questions that all companies participating in social media should consider. I referenced your post in a article I wrote about some of the challenges businesses faces regarding social media.

]]> By: Connie Crosby http://www.slaw.ca/2009/01/26/legal-issues-in-social-media-with-david-fraser/comment-page-1/#comment-702348 Connie Crosby Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:53:43 +0000 http://www.slaw.ca/?p=6046#comment-702348 Thank you for clarifying, Blaise. I think partly he was putting it into simpler terms for a non-legal audience, and partly I was simplifying it further in my notes. Thank you for clarifying, Blaise. I think partly he was putting it into simpler terms for a non-legal audience, and partly I was simplifying it further in my notes.

]]> By: Blaise Alleyne http://www.slaw.ca/2009/01/26/legal-issues-in-social-media-with-david-fraser/comment-page-1/#comment-702346 Blaise Alleyne Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:53:07 +0000 http://www.slaw.ca/?p=6046#comment-702346 <blockquote>Any company creating software they intend to sell, they need to ensure there is no Open Source code in it. Otherwise, you need to make your software available to everybody under the Open Source license.</blockquote> That's a bit misleading. There is no "Open Source license," but a bunch of open source <em>licenses</em>. It's not "open source" that's the issue, but <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyleft" rel="nofollow">copyleft</a>. Proprietary software companies can legally and easily take non-copyleft open source software and use it in their proprietary software. Apple does this all the time. It's only copyleft software (e.g. GPL software) that companies need to watch out for if they're not willing to release their source code.

Any company creating software they intend to sell, they need to ensure there is no Open Source code in it. Otherwise, you need to make your software available to everybody under the Open Source license.

That's a bit misleading. There is no "Open Source license," but a bunch of open source licenses. It's not "open source" that's the issue, but copyleft. Proprietary software companies can legally and easily take non-copyleft open source software and use it in their proprietary software. Apple does this all the time. It's only copyleft software (e.g. GPL software) that companies need to watch out for if they're not willing to release their source code.

]]>