Why CLAs aren't good for open source (Opensource.com)

Over at Opensource.com, Richard Fontana argues that contributor license agreements (CLAs) are not particularly useful or helpful for open-source projects. 'Since CLAs continue to be a minority practice and originate from outside open source community culture, I believe that CLA proponents should bear the burden of explaining why they are necessary or beneficial relative to their costs. I suspect that most companies using CLAs are merely emulating peer company behavior without critical examination. CLAs have an understandable, if superficial, appeal to risk-averse lawyers who are predisposed to favor greater formality, paper, and process regardless of the business costs.' He goes on to look at some of the arguments that CLA proponents make and gives his perspective on why they fall short.