GDC 2023 | Open Source Game Development Summit: Boosting XP by Contributing to the OSS Community

Wilson Sonsini attorneys John McGaraghan and Andrew Poling will lead a discussion on open source software at the Game Developers (GDC) 2023 Conference. Given the importance of open source software to any software product – including games – developers have a vested interest in contributing to the health and vitality of the open source community. Because many developers are not aware of the best practices for contributing, this session will provide a brief overview of what it means to contribute to open source, the legal mechanics by which contributions are made, and some of the considerations that individual developers and companies face when making decisions about what and how to contribute.

The session will cover reasons to contribute to the community, factors to consider in making that choice, various forms of contribution agreement and the legal implications, the implications for protection and maintenance of intellectual property rights, and the interplay between employee IP agreements and company policies around contribution.