Eclipse Foundation Selects Black Duck Software to Review Contributed Code; Leading Open Source Foundation Adopts protexIP Platform in its IP Process

Business Wire, Sept 5, 2006

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Black Duck Software, the leading provider of software compliance management solutions, today announced that the Eclipse Foundation, an open source community committed to the implementation of an extensible development platform, has purchased and deployed Black Duck's protexIP(TM)/development platform. Eclipse uses protexIP to review software submitted by committers and ensure it is in compliance with the specific software licensing requirements of the Eclipse Foundation.

Eclipse is a community of open source projects, each comprised of its own group of independent developers. The process of open source software development regularly involves the assembly of open source code with invented and reused components, and as a result, various licenses can govern various parts of an application. The open nature of Eclipse's projects elevates the need for Eclipse to evaluate the copyrights governing their code bases.

"Companies worldwide are capitalizing on applications developed by the Eclipse community, and many software vendors sell products that are dependent on Eclipse," said Mike Milinkovich, executive director of Eclipse Foundation. "For that reason, it is absolutely vital for us to analyze our code before we release it to our community."

protexIP compares software code to the protexIP KnowledgeBase, the most complete database of information on open source software components, code and license obligations available today. It contains information on tens of thousands of open source projects from more than 2,000 sites worldwide; and more than 650 open source and commercial licenses.

"The Eclipse Foundation represents some of the most innovative work in application development today, as teams of developers are working together to create tools and frameworks that will help build better business applications," said Douglas A. Levin, CEO of Black Duck Software. "Eclipse's purchase of protexIP makes sense given the decentralized and very successful nature of the community's process. Eclipse now has greater certainty that the licenses governing the code are in order."

About the protexIP Suite

Black Duck's protexIP platform creates a new work environment that helps organizations effectively manage their increasingly complex software IP and licensing issues. By validating software contents, verifying license compliance, and finding and addressing issues early in the development cycle - or well in advance of a due diligence event - the protexIP platform helps companies reduce business risks, complete software projects on time and on budget, and stay on track with their business plans.

About Black Duck Software

Black Duck Software(R) is the leading provider of software compliance management solutions that help companies govern how software assets are created, managed, and licensed. Black Duck's offerings help businesses take maximum advantage of open source software while at the same time ensure that they satisfy the obligations associated with the code they use. Black Duck's customer base includes enterprises, product developers, outsourcers, law firms and other organizations worldwide that are concerned with protection of software intellectual property. For more information about Black Duck, visit www.blackducksoftware.com.

Black Duck Software is a registered trademark, and Know Your Code and protexIP are trademarks of Black Duck Software, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.