隨著自由軟體運動的興起及開放源碼社群之成熟，近年來開放源碼軟體已逐漸成為企業經營者開發的基礎。雖然開放源碼軟體的授權契約種類繁多、內容各異，其中仍有許多採用「著佐權 (copyleft)」的機制，要求被授權人散布其作品時須依相同之授權條件再授權給他人，並應提供源碼，以確保所有後續之衍生軟體均保持自由、開放之特性。換言之，倘企業使用了開放源碼軟體為軟體開發之基礎，其智慧財產授權契約之選擇自由即可能受到限制。有了這樣的體認，軟體開發者除了在一開始時應慎重審酌是否採用開放源碼軟體外，一旦為之尚須於實施有別於傳統模式之智權管理策略。 本文將先就開放源碼軟體授權之性質及各類授權條款之特性及效果談起，以Jacobsen v. Katzer一案為例，探討其授權之定性以及在我國民法上適用之問題，復針對商業應用之情境，以廠商利用保密協定及終端使用者授權協議作為避免開放源碼之作法為例，採討商業實務上廠商利用開放源碼軟體之風險及困境，對之進而提出合適之智權管理模式、可行之開放源碼軟體應用暨授權策略以及相關法制革新之芻議。Given the rise of free software movement and a burgeoning open source community in recent years, Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) has gained a firm foothold in commercial software development. While there are many different kinds of FOSS licenses, a significant number of them employ the “copyleft” mechanism, which in essence requires the licensee to distribute modified source code in accordance with the original license, including making available the complete source code. It is a strategy designed to maintain the freedom and openness of software, along with all derivatives, covered by the license for the benefits of all subsequent licensees. “Copyleft” mechanism would, however, be a significant restriction to licensees’ freedom to choose the intellectual property license they prefer. With this understanding, a company has to consider carefully whether to incorporate copylefted FOSS in the first place. Once it does, it should also make appropriate adjustment in intellectual property management and licensing to avoid potential copyleft violation. This note will first introduce the main characteristics of FOSS, with special emphasis on the various FOSS licenses and their legal implications. Taking the case Jacobsen v. Katzer for example, the author would discuss some relative questions of its application to Taiwanese civil law system. The author would then analyze a relatively recent practice by software developers of dodging FOSS license obligations through non-disclosure agreements and end user license agreements, and offer some feasible advices to companies entertaining the idea of FOSS-based software development. Finally, the author tries to propose some potential suggestions on modifying intellectual property law to solve the problems which companies have faced.
