Open Source Tensions on the Rise
August 12, 2011
Commercial companies and open source strike sparks in Switzerland. The H Open Reveals, “Swiss Proprietary Companies Block Government Open Source Release.” The article explains,
In 2007, the Swiss federal court began development of its own internal document management system, OpenJustitia, designed to make it more efficient to search through court decisions. In 2009, the court’s IT department announced it would release the system as open source under the GPLv3. This summer, it was expected that OpenJustitia would be released to allow other courts to make use of it.
The plan has hit a snag, however. Software companies, such as Abraxas, Delta Logic, Weblaw, and Eurospider, have requested the release be delayed. They claim that the government is interfering in the market, essentially becoming a competitor to their businesses.
For its part, the government notes that all these companies have equal free access to this code and can use it in their own applications.
The Swiss Parliament and the Public Accounts Committee, which oversees the federal court, will decide where to go from here.
Cynthia Murrell August 12, 2011
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