Black Duck Software has signed up a partner in Japan for its software license management services. Ten Art-ni Corporation will resell and support Black Duck's ProtexIP/development offering, and the companies will work together on joint sales and marketing initiatives in the region, they say.

ProtexIP/development is a subscription-based software package that scans source code for known open source code “fingerprints.” It aims to help identify and resolve software licensing conflicts, and targets developers and intellectual property lawyers at companies building products based on open source software.

Black Duck announced Protex/IP in April of 2004 and launched it as a combined software/service offering a month later. The company subsequently received $5M in funding in July, and added custom license support in October.

Black Duck previously signed up Red Hat as a licensee and support/services partner, in August of last year.

Ten Art-ni

Much like Red Hat, Ten Art-ni developes enterprise software based on open source software technology. The company is described by Black Duck as “the premier distributor of open source-based solutions in Japan.” Its professional services include pre-development research, system design, system development, and support.

Black Duck CEO Douglas A. Levin said, “Japanese companies want the productivity gains and cost reductions that the open source alternative can deliver, but not if it puts their valuable intellectual property at risk. Japan is a very important market for us because it presents significant growth opportunities. With Japanese manufacturers broadening their use of Linux — embedding it in cellular telephones, for example — we sought out the best partner to help us capitalize on these emerging opportunities. We selected Ten Art-ni because they are focused on Linux, active in the Japanese open source community, and committed to furthering the adoption of open source products.”

Ten Art-ni CEO Nobuo Kita said, “To sell products in the US, European, and other international markets, our customers have to be sure that all open source elements and binaries in their offerings are properly licensed. Black Duck's solution automates the code review process, giving our customers a fast and accurate way to identify and resolve potential licensing problems.”

Black Duck competitor Palamida announced yesterday that Cisco has licensed its IP Amplifier product.

 
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