Model to ensure clean intellectual property in software development projects

This research examined how companies ensure implementation of clean intellectual property (IP) when their development projects incorporate open source code, third party code, and internal code. Various sources of data were analyzed to produce: a categorization of methods used to ensure clean IP, opportunities for entrepreneurs, and a model that defines clean IP building on an analogy with the clean room standards model. There were three key findings. First, the distinguishing characteristic between methods used to ensure clean IP is the stage of software development at which clean IP is addressed. Second, opportunities for entrepreneurs can be classified into two groups: functionality requirements and services to companies that develop software which incorporate open source code, third party code, and internal code. Third, the clean IP model developed in this research consists of four levels defined by six variables that can be used to clarify the cleanliness of software IP.