License risks from ad hoc reuse of code from the internet

Reusing existing software artifacts when developing new software is an attractive way to reduce development costs and time to market while improving software quality.4 Code is the artifact most commonly reused in software development.16 Researchers have identified such reuse in commercial software development as a new facet of software reuse.13,22 Here, "Internet code" means code in the form of components (such as a library encapsulating required functionality) and snippets (such as containing a synchronization block) that can be downloaded from the Internet for free and without individual agreement with the originator; an important instance of such code is publicly available open source software (OSS). Internet code generally