Mark Webbink Joins Software Freedom Law Center

rs232 writes to tell us that Mark Webbink has joined the board of the Software Freedom Law Center. Good news for the FOSS community, bad news if he was hoping for a quiet retirement. "Webbink comes to SFLC from Red Hat, the premiere Linux and open source vendor, where he served as its first general counsel beginning in 2000. In 2004, he became Red Hat's deputy general counsel for intellectual property, a position he served in until his retirement in August 2007. During his tenure with Red Hat, Webbink wrote and spoke extensively on the subjects of open source software, software patents, and patent reform."

yeah, it's a joke, but not a mean one

[heinousjay]

How many lawyers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

Two, but getting them in there is tricky.

Who?

[LingNoi]

This is news? I've never heard of this guy before? What's he done for free software before being hired by the FSF?

Re:

[tridge]

yes, this is news. Most good lawyers tend to stay out of the limelight. Mark is a good lawyer,
and has helped many things that could have become problematic for the free software community
not become problematic. You don't hear of those successes on sites like Slashdot.

I'm glad to hear Mark is joining the SFLC. The SLFC has some really great people, including one
of my personal heros, Eben Moglen, but they are very busy, and I suspect they will get busier
over time. More good, experienced lawyers like Mark can

A bit more info on Mark Webbink

[allcar]

If you're like me, you may never have heard of this guy. To save you the effort, here's a few relevant links:

• Understanding Open Source Software - by Red Hat's Mark Webbink [groklaw.net]
• The Man with the Shovel [blogger.com]
• LinuxWorld Bio [linuxworldexpo.com]

Re:

[LingNoi]

Thanks for the links and if Mark is reading this, I wish you good luck in your new position.

more at Groklaw ..

[rs232]

"During my time at Red Hat, I came to understand that open source developers perform their best work when sound legal advice is available to them," said Webbink [groklaw.net]. "I look forward to working with an organization that provides this essential role to the Free and Open Source Software community."

Webbink?

[tygerstripes]

I thought that was a Web 2.0 [lightsphere.com] startup.