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Open-source screening company hires legal muscle

Black Duck Software has tapped an IP specialist to advise companies about the use of open-source and proprietary software.

Stephen Shankland Former Principal Writer
Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
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  • Shankland covered the tech industry for more than 25 years and was a science writer for five years before that. He has deep expertise in microprocessors, digital photography, computer hardware and software, internet standards, web technology, and more.
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Stephen Shankland

Black Duck Software, whose products help companies identify when their programs use open-source software, has hired Karen Copenhaver as general counsel, the company plans to announce on Monday. She previously was a partner in the patent and intellectual property group of law firm Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault in Boston. In the new job at the 12-person Waltham, Mass.-based start-up, Copenhaver will provide advice on licensing issues and provide companies guidance on intellectual property issues.

Black Duck and Open Source Risk Management are two new companies that sprang up to grapple with the complicated intersection of open-source software, whose source code may be freely shared, and proprietary software, which must be kept secret.