The Open Source Myth Why Executives Should Think Twice about Making Company Source Code Public

This article attempts to address the issue of whether open source software companies may be undermining their own competitive advantages by undervaluing the strategic importance of intellectual property. If this would be true, companies could risk their existence by following a potentially destructive business model. We will first take a look at the historic development of the open source movement. After taking a critical view on some issues important within the commercial domain we will address the question of whether open source is a viable option for companies operating in competitive environments and will furthermore present three alternative, hybrid licensing approaches.