EC Software Law Could Divide Open Source

The world of open-source development could be divided if the European Commission succeeds in passing a law extending consumer protection rules to software, according to experts.

The Commission proposes software companies be held liable in the EU for the security and efficacy of their products.

David Mitchell, senior vice president of IT Research at Ovum, thinks this may lead to a situation boosting current open-source vendors’ business models, but making it more difficult for independent developers to thrive…