Embedded Linux user Cisco Systems has licensed Palamida's automated license management software, in what Palamida calls “the largest [deal] to date in the new market for automated IP management and compliance.” Cisco will integrate Palamida's IP Amplifier — including the Compliance Library and Detector modules — into its development process, Palamida says.

Cisco was involved in a highly publicized GPL violation in October of 2003, when its newly acquired LinkSys division shipped a wireless access point develped by an off-shore subcontractor that made inappropriate use of Linux. Linksys partnered with high-end embedded Linux house Jungo on subsequent wireless access points, but not before much attention was brought to the susceptibility of embedded device developers to GPL violations. At the time, open source license expert Bruce Perens said, “Contractors will think 'this is embedded, no one can change the source — so the GPL must not really apply to us.'”

A short time later, in January of 2004, netfilter author Harold Welte founded the GPL Violations Project, which continues to identify cases of GPL abuse among embedded Linux device vendors.

IP Amplifier

Palamida began shipping its IP Amplifier product line last month. The product aims to determine component license requirements and assess license obligations. Similar technology was shipped previously by Black Duck, which licensed its Protex/IP service to Red Hat in August of last year.

IP Amplifier is based on a Compliance Library said to contain billions of source code snippets that are continously updated through an automated collection system. It also includes a Detector module that can analyze binary code, source code, images, icons, archives, XML, and text documents for matches against items in the Compliance Library.

According to Palamida, the Dector module uses special technology called “CodeRank” to combat false positives and prioritize matches requiring user action. The product can provide a company-wide overview of all IP (intellectual property) assets and licensing obligations, Palamida says.

Cisco's director of licensing and technology, Sherman Chu, said, “Cisco has long recognized the importance of intellectual property, and our move to automated tools for software IP management underscores that.”

Palamida CEO Mark Tolliver said, “Automated compliance and license management accelerates the assembly and creation of intellectual property based on open source and third-party components.”

Availability

Palamida IP Amplifier is licensed on an annual subscription basis, at prices ranging from $50,000 to $250,000, depending on the size of the organization. Subscriptions include periodic updates to the Compliance Library component.

 
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