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
Director of Engineering at Canonical USA, Ltd.
Andrew Sinclair is Director of Engineering at Canonical USA, Ltd., focusing on automotive software solutions.
Daniel Patnaik
Software Engineer at Audi
Daniel Patnaik is a Software Engineer at Audi, focusing on automotive software development.
Dave Marr
Senior Director of Open Source Compliance at Qualcomm
Dave Marr is Senior Director of Open Source Compliance at Qualcomm, overseeing open source compliance and strategy.
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 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 initiatives.
Jeremiah Foster
Community Manager at GENIVI and Luxoft
Jeremiah Foster is Community Manager at GENIVI and Luxoft, working on open source automotive software initiatives.
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 The 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 dedicated to protecting the Linux ecosystem through patent non-aggression.
Leilani H. Gilpin
Research Scientist at MIT
Leilani H. Gilpin is a Research Scientist at MIT, specializing in autonomous systems and artificial intelligence.
Max Sills
Legal Counsel at Google
Max Sills manages the legal team handling 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 The Linux Foundation
Mike Dolan is Vice President of Strategic Programs at The Linux Foundation, managing key initiatives and projects.
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 law.
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 strategy and engagement.
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 The Linux Foundation
Scott Nicholas is Senior Director of Strategic Programs at The Linux Foundation, managing key 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.