Why Open Source & LGPL for OpenClinica?

OpenClinica is open source software. The OpenClinica software and its underlying source code are freely distributed and freely modifiable for those who wish to make use of and/or customize the software. The open source model behind OpenClinica produces an enterprise-quality electronic data capture (EDC) system that is regulatory compliant, technically robust, highly accessible, and easily extensible. OpenClinica is designed to serve the needs of all types and sizes of clinical trials.

OpenClinica is the product of internally- and community-developed open source software and leading, non-proprietary open standards. Akaza Research, LLC is the primary commercial sponsor of OpenClinica and exists to coordinate the global OpenClinica community and to provide optional professional support to enterprise-level adopters. With this level of flexibility, institutions can more effectively address the complex challenges of EDC, clinical data management, regulatory compliance, and interoperability in a modern clinical trials environment.

The OpenClinica platform is distributed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) which provides the following benefits and attributes:

Allows unlimited distribution of the unmodified OpenClinica source code among both academic and commercial entities; no software licensing fees are incurred. This ensures wide-spread adoption and affordability.
Restricts others from making proprietary derivative commercial distributions based on the core OpenClinica framework; under the LGPL you are required to publicly release all such modifications, thus extending the platform and its benefits to a wider community.
Ensures that any changes made to the code for internal use can remain proprietary and do not have to be incorporated into the core OpenClinica platform; this addresses potential concerns related to revealing security and specialized organizational practices within institutional settings.
Provides incentives for development of customized solutions and open or proprietary components based on the core (unmodified) OpenClinica platform by Akaza, its partners and other institutions or developers. This benefits both academic and commercial users, while making the overall platform better supported and a more attractive choice for end users and institutions.
Allows developers who contribute to OpenClinica an ability to maintain a copyright to their work, get attributed for their contributions, and a means to ensure that the core platform will always be available for distribution freely.
Ensures standardization in the core framework and reduces the likelihood of numerous incompatible variations to the core OpenClinica platform. This assures an open, standardized and robust software platform with a stable code-base and release cycles.

A key objective in adopting the LGPL is to ensure the OpenClinica platform is widely adopted and extended by an vibrant network of users, developers and partners.

Related Pages

	Title	Date	Posted By
	OpenClinica LGPL Software License	Jul 27, 2010	ccollins