The Software Freedom Law Center's 14th Anniversary Fall Conference, held on November 2, 2018, at Columbia Law School in New York City, brought together legal experts, developers, and members of the free and open source software (FOSS) community to discuss pressing legal issues surrounding FOSS. This annual event serves as a platform for exploring the evolving landscape of software freedom and its legal implications.
The conference featured a series of sessions covering a range of topics pertinent to the FOSS community. Keynote addresses included "Google’s Philosophy of FOSS" by Max Sills, discussing Google's open source compliance philosophy, and "Journalism for an Open Source World" by Julia Angwin. Other sessions delved into current legal issues in FOSS, license restrictions, the role of FOSS in automotive software, and its significance in emerging technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence.
Attendees had opportunities to engage in discussions, network with peers, and gain insights from notable speakers such as Eben Moglen, Mishi Choudhary, and representatives from organizations like Red Hat, Oracle, and the Linux Foundation. The event also provided Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits for New York State Bar members, enhancing its appeal to legal professionals seeking to stay abreast of developments in FOSS law.
This conference was particularly beneficial for legal practitioners, developers, and enterprise users involved in or interested in the FOSS ecosystem. It offered a comprehensive overview of current challenges and developments, fostering a deeper understanding of the legal frameworks that support and govern free and open source software.
Speakers(21)
Andrew Sinclair
Engineering Manager at Canonical USA, Ltd.
Andrew Sinclair is an Engineering Manager at Canonical USA, Ltd., focusing on open source software development.
Daniel Patnaik
Legal Counsel at Audi
Daniel Patnaik is Legal Counsel at Audi, specializing in legal issues related to automotive software.
Dave Marr
Senior Director of Open Source Compliance at Qualcomm
Dave Marr is Senior Director of Open Source Compliance at Qualcomm, overseeing the company's open source compliance programs.
David Levine
Senior Commercial Counsel at Red Hat
David Levine is Senior Commercial Counsel at Red Hat, focusing on open source licensing and compliance.
Eben Moglen
Professor of Law at Columbia Law School
Eben Moglen is a Professor of Law at Columbia Law School and the Founder of the Software Freedom Law Center.
Heather J. Meeker
Partner at O’Melveny & Myers LLP
Heather Meeker is a partner at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, leading the technology transactions practice and specializing in open source software licensing.
James Waugh
Founder at Bidio
James Waugh is the founder of Bidio and has been involved in open source blockchain projects.
Jeremiah Foster
Community Manager at GENIVI and Luxoft
Jeremiah Foster is Community Manager at GENIVI and Luxoft, working on open source projects in the automotive industry.
Jim Wright
Chief Architect for Open Source Policy at Oracle
Jim Wright is Oracle’s Chief Architect for Open Source Policy, Strategy, Compliance, and Alliances.
Julia Angwin
Editor-in-Chief at The Markup
Julia Angwin is an award-winning investigative journalist and editor-in-chief of The Markup, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates how powerful institutions are using technology to change society.
Karen Copenhaver
Counsel at Linux Foundation
Karen Copenhaver serves as outside counsel to the Linux Foundation and has been recognized as Boston Lawyer of the Year multiple times.
Keith Bergelt
CEO at Open Invention Network
Keith Bergelt is the CEO of Open Invention Network, an organization that promotes patent non-aggression in the Linux ecosystem.
Leilani H. Gilpin
Researcher at MIT
Leilani H. Gilpin is a researcher at MIT, focusing on artificial intelligence and its applications.
Max Sills
Legal Counsel at Google
Max Sills manages the legal team responsible for open source licensing at Alphabet, setting open source policy across the company, and managing business relationships and corporate structures for some of Alphabet’s most important open source projects.
Mike Dolan
Vice President of Strategic Programs at Linux Foundation
Mike Dolan is Vice President of Strategic Programs at the Linux Foundation, managing a portfolio of open source projects and initiatives.
Mishi Choudhary
Legal Director at Software Freedom Law Center
Mishi Choudhary is the Legal Director of the Software Freedom Law Center, specializing in free and open source software legal issues.
Nicolas Schifano
Senior Director of Open Source Programs at Microsoft
Nicolas Schifano is Senior Director of Open Source Programs at Microsoft, leading the company's open source initiatives and compliance.
Richard Fontana
Senior Commercial Counsel at Red Hat
Richard Fontana is Senior Commercial Counsel at Red Hat, focusing on open source licensing and compliance.
Sarah Ward
Director of Legal at MongoDB
Sarah Ward is Director of Legal at MongoDB, overseeing the corporate and product legal teams.
Scott Nicholas
Senior Director of Strategic Programs at Linux Foundation
Scott Nicholas is Senior Director of Strategic Programs at the Linux Foundation, managing open source projects and initiatives.
Susan Malaika
Senior Technical Staff Member at IBM
Susan Malaika is a Senior Technical Staff Member in IBM’s Digital Business Group, focusing on open source and cloud technologies.
Event Details
- Date
- November 2, 2018
- Location
- 🇺🇸 New York, United States
- Jerome Greene Hall, Room 103, Columbia Law School
- Pricing
- Free
- Audience
- Legal practitioners, developers, enterprise users, and members of the free and open source software community.
- CLE Credits
- 7 credit hours applicable toward the Areas of Professional Practice requirement for New York State Bar members.