[Commons-Law] Open-Source Software - Viable Alternative or Risky Venture? Lessons for Singapore

[Sunil Abraham]

      Open-Source Software - Viable Alternative or Risky Venture?
                         Lessons for Singapore

Date & Time : 
09 March 2005, from 3.00pm sharp to 6.00pm. 
Registration starts at 2.30pm

Venue : 
Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS)
51 Bras Basah Road
#06-01 Plaza By The Park
Singapore 189554


Programme Synopsis :
Like many other issues in the intellectual property arena, public
debates relating to proprietary versus free & open-source software have
been both lively and emotional with proponents of both camps fiercely
committed to the merits of their respective systems. Undeniably, the
free & open source software movements have caused a seismic shift in
developments in the ICT industry. 

This forum is not intended for participants to air philosophical issues.
It seeks to explore, from a business and legal perspective, whether
open-source software can be a viable alternative or potentially a risky
venture for Singapore companies because of the current ambiguities and
unresolved issues, especially pertaining to intellectual property. The
forum will shed light on the current concerns, salient issues and
explore possible ways of resolution.

A panel of representatives from industry, government and academia will
share their views on: 

      * Applicability and commercial viability of open source versus
        proprietary software
      * The IP issues underlining open source and proprietary software
      * Looking into the future for open source and proprietary software

Moderator:
Associate Professor Daniel Seng, Faculty of Law, NUS

Programme

2.30pm – 3.00pm 
		Registration 
3.00pm – 3.10pm 
		Overview by Assoc Prof Daniel Seng
3.10pm – 3.45pm 
                Discussion:- Applicability and commercial viability of
                open source versus proprietary software
                      * Dr Cheok Beng Teck, Director, Mindef, CIO
                        Office 
                      * Dr Chong Yok Sin, COO, NCS- 
                      * Mr Goh Seow Hiong, Director Software Policy
                        (Asia) Business Software Alliance
3.45pm – 4.00pm 
		Q&A
4.00pm – 4.45pm 
                Discussion: - The IP issues underlining open source and
                proprietary software
                      * Mr Lau Kok Kheng, Partner and Head of iTec
                        Practice Group, Rajah & Tann
                      * Dr Stanley Lai, Partner, Allen & Gledhill
                      * Mr Chris Laughton, Legal Counsel, Novell
4.45pm – 5.00pm 
		Q&A
5.00pm – 5.45pm 
                Discussion: Looking into the future for open source and
                proprietary software
                      * Mr Chris Sharp, Director, Platform Strategy,
                        Microsoft Asia Pacific
                      * Mr Sunil Abraham, IOSN (International Open
                        Source Network)
5.45pm – 6.00pm Q&A 
6.00pm Close


-- 
Sunil Abraham, sunil at mahiti.org http://www.mahiti.org
314/1, 7th Cross, Domlur Bangalore - 560 071 Karnataka, INDIA
Ph/Fax: +91 80 51150580. Mob: (60) 1-2205-3895