Talend, an open source based company, took the lead in obtained a favorable ruling on software conformance with the Trade Agreement Act (TAA).
Trade Agreement Act: Quick summary – Goods manufactured in non-designated countries, cannot be purchased by federal agencies. Open source software can have significant contact with non-designated countries. Non-conformance with the TAA, means open source software loses an important market.
Talend obtained a very favorable ruling for open source software. The impact of that ruling:
The Talend Ruling is significant because government users now have useful guidance specifically addressing open source software that is developed and substantially transformed in a designated country, but also includes, or is based upon, source code from a non-designated country,” said Fern Lavallee, DLA Piper LLP (US), counsel to Talend. “Federal agencies can now purchase open source software products like Talend software based on its true technical merits, including ease of use, flexibility, robust documentation and data components and its substantial life-cycle cost advantages, while also having complete confidence in the product’s full compliance with threshold requirements like the TAA. The timing of this Ruling is right given the Department of Defense’s well publicized attention and commitment to Better Buying Power and DoD’s recent Open Systems Architecture initiative. (Quote from Government Agency Gives Talend Green Light on Open Source)
An important ruling for all open source software projects, including topic maps.
I started to post about it when it first appeared but reports of rulings aren’t the same as the rulings themselves.
Talend graciously forwarded a copy of the ruling and gave permission for it to be posted for your review. Talend-Inc-US-Customs-and-Border-Protection-Response-Letter.pdf
Looking forward to news of your efforts to make it possible for governments to buy open source software “…based on its true technical merits.”