Abstract

 Degorce-Dumas, Jean-Paul    Guide to choosing and using libre software licences   

Guide to choosing and using libre software licences

Abstract

Both central and local government departments in France are now significant users of libre software but they are also producers. This increase in the number of projects and the newness of the software licence approach mean that government must construct a consistent and reliable framework, particularly from the administrative and legal viewpoints. The French Agency for ICT in public administrations (ATICA) recently published a new guide designed to help public sector entities choosing and using libre software licences. Targeting public sector project managers, the guide explains the nature and business models of libre software. It shows the benefits but also the risks of using libre software. It identifies the steps that administrations will need to take to advance through the various phases of an OSS project's development. The guide shows that a well-defined national and international legal framework now exists for developing libre software, where rights and duties of developers are based on a wealth of licensing agreements. On the basis of three criteria, the guide recommends using the GPL licence.