New Case Study is Published: Dual Licensing in Academic Open-Source Software

Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) has become key and popular in software development. European IP Helpdesk team has just published a new case study that traces the journey leading to the successful partnership between the Portuguese research institution INESC TEC and the German media and after-effects start-up MAMOWORLD through the commercialisation of an academic Open-Source software.

The partnership between INESC TEC and MAMOWORLD and the case study itself illustrate that the barriers to using FOSS copyleft licences in commercial products may not be as high as they seem. However, these collaborations often require specific intellectual property and legal expertise to help companies small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular, overcome certain challenges.

The case study also showcases the importance of IP management, protection and exploitation towards effective partnerships, especially for the entities such as SMEs which have limited resources or expertise in academic and/or FOSS software commercialisation.