Vicki E. Allums, Associate General Counsel for Intellectual Property at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) will join GOSCON this week  to discuss  a document released today by CENDI, a cooperative of the major Federal science, technology and information centers.  The document titled “Frequently Asked Questions about Copyright and Computer Software: Issues Affecting the U.S. Government with Special Emphasis on Open Source Software”, its principal authors from Defense Information Systems Agency and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is expected to serve as a useful resource as federal agencies increasingly adopt the use of open source software in their IT architectures.

Allums will walk attendees thought the new document including:

• US Government policy guidance regarding use of Open Source Software (OSS)
• Issues unique to federal agencies distributing OSS
• OSS copyright licensing and contractual considerations for the US Government
• Advantages and Disadvantages to federal agencies using OSS as an alternative to proprietary technologies.

Hope you can join me at GOSCON this week and not miss these important milestones in the evolution of information technology within the US Government.