Black Duck Software
Encyclopedia
Black Duck Software is a Massachusetts US private company. Black Duck Software pioneered the automation of mixed-origin software component reuse management. The company’s products and services allow organizations to analyze the composition of software source code and binary files, search for reusable code, manage open source
and third-party code approval, honor the legal obligations associated with mixed-origin code, and monitor related security vulnerabilities. Black Duck is considered a technology industry leader and often cited in media articles about open source.
Black Duck Software maintains an extensive KnowledgeBase
of open source and third party components - most of which are available on the Internet. In the KnowledgeBase, each component is characterized by metadata
such as license, language, version, author, and known security vulnerabilities. Black Duck products use this information to facilitate search, selection, approval, validation and tracking of software components. Black Duck Software maintains the open source
search engine
Koders
.
The Black Duck Software website includes a free service providing information and analysis about open source licenses.
Open source software creates an efficient business model
, incorporating a collaborative software development model
. However, modifying or redistributing open source while failing to honor open source license obligations creates legal liability for corporations and their officers. In 2007, open source license infringement litigation went to court in the U.S. for the first time in a suit filed by the Software Freedom Law Center
. According to Mark Radcliffe, Deputy General Counsel for the Open Source Initiative
, as current and future suits are decided, important case law precedents will be established about the remedies available to open source plaintiffs.
This is the context in which a niche market
has developed for products and services from companies such as Black Duck Software that provide automation and information to manage the complexity of emergent composite software development models while avoiding business and legal risks.
(Doug Levin), founded Black Duck in 2002, at a time when litigation over open source and software intellectual property
began in the United States, including the high-profile SCO v. IBM
case. The idea struck him that there should be an automated way to keep track of and verify software code origins. Levin named the company after a pet duck that he found and nursed back to health when he was seven years old.
Black Duck Software began shipping its first product, Protex, in 2004. In July 2004, the company had its first round of venture capital funding for $5 million, with investments from Flagship Ventures and General Catalyst Partners
.
In March 2005, the company announced a hosted service, Black Duck Transact. In June 2005, a second round of funding added $12 million in investment capital led by Fidelity Ventures of Boston and including Intel Capital (a division of Intel Corporation (Nasdaq: INTC)), SAP Ventures (a division of SAP AG) and Red Hat (Nasdaq: RHAT), along with existing investors Flagship Ventures and General Catalyst Partners
. Throughout 2005, the company created partnerships with other open source organizations, including Red Hat http://www.redhat.com/, the Open Source Software Institute
, Sourceforge
, and Olliance Group.
During 2006 Black Duck integrated Protex with the IBM
Rational http://www-306.ibm.com/software/rational/ management platform and released the Black Duck Export product. Also in 2006, the company expanded its distribution network to include resellers in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Israel, and Korea.
In February 2007, Black Duck Software completed a third round of venture capital investment for $12 million, led by Focus Ventures and also including existing investors. The company joined the Open Solutions Alliance
in April 2007, received IBM SOA Specialty acceptance in October and, in November 2007, added distribution partners in Hong Kong. Also in November 2007, the company began a distribution partnership with NEC in Japan.
On January 28, 2008, Black Duck introduced Black Duck Code Center, a role-based management system for mixed-origin software development.
On April 28, 2008, it was announced that Black Duck Software would acquire the assets and technologies of open source code search engine Koders
. The Koders search engine will remain free of charge.
On February 10, 2009, the company announced Tim Yeaton as the new President and CEO of Black Duck Software with immediate effect.
In 2010, the company was named to the 2010 SD Times 100
.
In April 2010, Black Duck Software has been included in the prestigious “Cool Vendors in Application Development, 2010” report by Gartner
, Inc.
Technological integration with IBM
Rational adds Black Duck functionality to executive-level software management. Open source
consultancies work with Black Duck Software to help their clients adopt and implement open source policies that honor licenses while capturing the cost savings of open source software reuse. Similarly, Black Duck has established partnerships with a number of law firms to provide accurate determination of software pedigree—especially helpful when preparing software asset valuation for mergers and acquisitions
.
Black Duck is a member of the Eclipse Foundation
, the Open Solutions Alliance
, and the Open Source Software Institute
. Black Duck initiated the Compliance Vanguard Alliance to work with other open source technology firms by providing educational events and information to encourage best practices in managed open source adoption.
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
and third-party code approval, honor the legal obligations associated with mixed-origin code, and monitor related security vulnerabilities. Black Duck is considered a technology industry leader and often cited in media articles about open source.
Black Duck Software maintains an extensive KnowledgeBase
Knowledge base
A knowledge base is a special kind of database for knowledge management. A Knowledge Base provides a means for information to be collected, organised, shared, searched and utilised.-Types:...
of open source and third party components - most of which are available on the Internet. In the KnowledgeBase, each component is characterized by metadata
Metadata
The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
such as license, language, version, author, and known security vulnerabilities. Black Duck products use this information to facilitate search, selection, approval, validation and tracking of software components. Black Duck Software maintains the open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
search engine
Search engine
A search engine is an information retrieval system designed to help find information stored on a computer system. The search results are usually presented in a list and are commonly called hits. Search engines help to minimize the time required to find information and the amount of information...
Koders
Koders
Koders is a search engine for open source code. It enables software developers to easily search and browse source code in thousands of projects posted at hundreds of open source repositories....
.
The Black Duck Software website includes a free service providing information and analysis about open source licenses.
Open source software creates an efficient business model
Business model
A business model describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value...
, incorporating a collaborative software development model
Collaborative software development model
The Collaborative software development model is a style of software development whose focus is on public availability and communication, usually via the Internet.The software development model began widespread adoption with the Linux kernel in 1991....
. However, modifying or redistributing open source while failing to honor open source license obligations creates legal liability for corporations and their officers. In 2007, open source license infringement litigation went to court in the U.S. for the first time in a suit filed by the Software Freedom Law Center
Software Freedom Law Center
The Software Freedom Law Center is an organization that provides pro bono legal representation and related services to not-for-profit developers of free software/open source software. It was launched in February 2005 with Eben Moglen as Chairman. Initial funding of US$4 million was pledged by...
. According to Mark Radcliffe, Deputy General Counsel for the Open Source Initiative
Open Source Initiative
The Open Source Initiative is an organization dedicated to promoting open source software.The organization was founded in February 1998, by Bruce Perens and Eric S. Raymond, prompted by Netscape Communications Corporation publishing the source code for its flagship Netscape Communicator product...
, as current and future suits are decided, important case law precedents will be established about the remedies available to open source plaintiffs.
This is the context in which a niche market
Niche market
A niche market is the subset of the market on which a specific product is focusing; therefore the market niche defines the specific product features aimed at satisfying specific market needs, as well as the price range, production quality and the demographics that is intended to impact...
has developed for products and services from companies such as Black Duck Software that provide automation and information to manage the complexity of emergent composite software development models while avoiding business and legal risks.
History
Founder and Board Member, Douglas LevinDouglas Levin
Douglas A. Levin is currently the chief executive officer CEO of Ayeah Games in Boston, Massachusetts.Levin founded Black Duck Software in 2002 and served as its chief executive officer CEO from December 2002 to August 31, 2008. He remains a member of the Black Duck's Board of Directors...
(Doug Levin), founded Black Duck in 2002, at a time when litigation over open source and software intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
began in the United States, including the high-profile SCO v. IBM
SCO v. IBM
SCO v. IBM is a civil lawsuit in the United States District Court of Utah. The SCO Group asserted that there are legal uncertainties regarding the use of the Linux operating system due to alleged violations of IBM's Unix licenses in the development of Linux code at IBM.-Summary:On March 6, 2003,...
case. The idea struck him that there should be an automated way to keep track of and verify software code origins. Levin named the company after a pet duck that he found and nursed back to health when he was seven years old.
Black Duck Software began shipping its first product, Protex, in 2004. In July 2004, the company had its first round of venture capital funding for $5 million, with investments from Flagship Ventures and General Catalyst Partners
General Catalyst Partners
General Catalyst Partners is a private equity firm focused on venture capital investments in early stage technology-based companies including software, infrastructure software and applied technology businesses. The firm has also includes a growth capital team that focuses on later stage...
.
In March 2005, the company announced a hosted service, Black Duck Transact. In June 2005, a second round of funding added $12 million in investment capital led by Fidelity Ventures of Boston and including Intel Capital (a division of Intel Corporation (Nasdaq: INTC)), SAP Ventures (a division of SAP AG) and Red Hat (Nasdaq: RHAT), along with existing investors Flagship Ventures and General Catalyst Partners
General Catalyst Partners
General Catalyst Partners is a private equity firm focused on venture capital investments in early stage technology-based companies including software, infrastructure software and applied technology businesses. The firm has also includes a growth capital team that focuses on later stage...
. Throughout 2005, the company created partnerships with other open source organizations, including Red Hat http://www.redhat.com/, the Open Source Software Institute
Open Source Software Institute
The Open Source Software Institute is a U.S.-based 501, non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the development and implementation of open-source software solutions within US Federal, state and municipal government agencies...
, Sourceforge
SourceForge
SourceForge Enterprise Edition is a collaborative revision control and software development management system. It provides a front-end to a range of software development lifecycle services and integrates with a number of free software / open source software applications .While originally itself...
, and Olliance Group.
During 2006 Black Duck integrated Protex with the IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
Rational http://www-306.ibm.com/software/rational/ management platform and released the Black Duck Export product. Also in 2006, the company expanded its distribution network to include resellers in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Israel, and Korea.
In February 2007, Black Duck Software completed a third round of venture capital investment for $12 million, led by Focus Ventures and also including existing investors. The company joined the Open Solutions Alliance
Open Solutions Alliance
The Open Solutions Alliance is a nonprofit, vendor-neutral consortium dedicated to driving adoption of comprehensive open business solutions...
in April 2007, received IBM SOA Specialty acceptance in October and, in November 2007, added distribution partners in Hong Kong. Also in November 2007, the company began a distribution partnership with NEC in Japan.
On January 28, 2008, Black Duck introduced Black Duck Code Center, a role-based management system for mixed-origin software development.
On April 28, 2008, it was announced that Black Duck Software would acquire the assets and technologies of open source code search engine Koders
Koders
Koders is a search engine for open source code. It enables software developers to easily search and browse source code in thousands of projects posted at hundreds of open source repositories....
. The Koders search engine will remain free of charge.
On February 10, 2009, the company announced Tim Yeaton as the new President and CEO of Black Duck Software with immediate effect.
Awards
In June 2010, Black Duck Software was listed as one of the Lead411's Hottest Boston Companies.In 2010, the company was named to the 2010 SD Times 100
SD Times
Software Development Times, better known as SD Times, is a magazine published by BZ Media, in both a print version and an on-line electronic edition. It has been published since 2000. Since 2003, it has published an annual award list, the "SD Times 100", which honors the top 100 leaders and...
.
In April 2010, Black Duck Software has been included in the prestigious “Cool Vendors in Application Development, 2010” report by Gartner
Gartner
Gartner, Inc. is an information technology research and advisory firm headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, United States. It was known as GartnerGroup until 2001....
, Inc.
Products
Black Duck Software products include Protex, Transact, Export, and Code Center. Each application uses the Black Duck KnowledgeBase to identify and manage the reuse of open source and third party code. The Black Duck KnowledgeBase is continuously updated with downloadable code from Internet sites and software vendors, including development kits, proprietary applications, operating systems, and the associated proprietary and open source licenses.Services
Black Duck Professional Services offer consulting about software compliance, open source software use and creating code reuse policies and procedures using Black Duck products. Black Duck also offers training and customer support services.Partners & alliances
Black Duck Software collaborates in various ways with other companies and organizations in the open source sphere.Technological integration with IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
Rational adds Black Duck functionality to executive-level software management. Open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
consultancies work with Black Duck Software to help their clients adopt and implement open source policies that honor licenses while capturing the cost savings of open source software reuse. Similarly, Black Duck has established partnerships with a number of law firms to provide accurate determination of software pedigree—especially helpful when preparing software asset valuation for mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or location of origin, or a new field or...
.
Black Duck is a member of the Eclipse Foundation
Eclipse Foundation
The Eclipse Foundation is a not-for-profit, member supported corporation that hosts the open-source Eclipse Projects and helps cultivate both an open source community and an ecosystem of complementary products and services...
, the Open Solutions Alliance
Open Solutions Alliance
The Open Solutions Alliance is a nonprofit, vendor-neutral consortium dedicated to driving adoption of comprehensive open business solutions...
, and the Open Source Software Institute
Open Source Software Institute
The Open Source Software Institute is a U.S.-based 501, non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the development and implementation of open-source software solutions within US Federal, state and municipal government agencies...
. Black Duck initiated the Compliance Vanguard Alliance to work with other open source technology firms by providing educational events and information to encourage best practices in managed open source adoption.
See also
- FOSSology - Open-source tool to find and manage licenses in a code base, launched in January 2008 by Hewlett Packard
- Ninka -- Open source tool to identify licenses in source code.
- OSS Discovery - Open-source tool to find open-source software embedded in applications and installed on computers. Sourceforge project led by OpenLogic
- Palamida, Inc. - Competitor with similar open-source software identification and analysis tools
- ProtecodeProtecodeProtecode is a private company based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Protecode is a provider of open source license management solutions that can be used throughout the software development lifecycle to ensure license compliance. Protecode System 4 is a suite of tools for managing open source...
- A Canadian competitor which offers automated, real-time analysis solutions for managing open source licensing obligations in software - KodersKodersKoders is a search engine for open source code. It enables software developers to easily search and browse source code in thousands of projects posted at hundreds of open source repositories....
- OhlohOhlohOhloh is a website which provides a web services suite and online community platform that aims to map the landscape of open source software development. It was founded by former Microsoft managers Jason Allen and Scott Collison in 2004 and joined by the developer Robin Luckey...