KILN OFFERS OPEN-SOURCE COMPLIANCE INSURANCE

UK-based insurer Kiln has linked with Miller Insurance Services to offer open-source software compliance insurance. New York-based Open Source Risk Management will be the exclusive risk assessor, according to a ZDNet report. The insurance will offer cover of up to $10m. This will include any losses relating to non-compliance with an open-source software licence. The insurance costs about $20,000 for $1m in coverage, or about 2% of the desired coverage amount. Kiln noted that more than 30 claims had been received in the past couple of years that entailed infringements of open source licences, such as the General Public Licence that is used with the increasingly popular Linux operating system. Kiln Risk Solutions underwriter Matthew Hogg said that “the emerging open-source model of worldwide collaborative technology development introduces novel business risks that traditional insurance products can, but have not, addressed”.