Proposal Would Limit State Software Purchases

Advocates of open-source software are planning to unveil a legislative proposal this week that would prevent the state of California from buying software from Microsoft Corp., according to CNet.

The Digital Software Security Act would prohibit state agencies from buying software from companies, such as Microsoft, that restrict access to their source codes and have restrictive licensing policies.

State agencies also would be allowed to “make and distribute copies of the software” if the proposal is enacted as written.

“For software to be acceptable to the state, it is not enough that it is technically capable of fulfilling a task, but that the contractual condition for purchase and/or licensing must satisfy a series of requirements regarding the license,” the proposal states.

Supporters plan to march Thursday in San Francisco to highlight their view that open-source software such as Linux can play an important role in discouraging abuses by proprietary software companies, including Microsoft.