Whether you’ve paid for an app to be developed or you’re a software developer who created one, it’s important to protect what you own by using the right software contracts when selling your application…or when giving it away if it’s a free app.
Why Borrowing A Software Agreement Is A Bad Idea
Unfortunately, some software application owners make the mistake of “borrowing” the wrong type of software agreement that they find online. More often than not, the contract isn’t designed to protect their rights. And, in fact, they’re probably creating a legal nightmare of intellectual property rights that could end up as an expensive lawsuit at any time.
Software Ownership
Although there are other important issues, the most essential one is who owns what.
For example, you probably don’t want to use a software agreement that gives all rights to the end user. That means you’d own nothing after selling/giving away the first copy of the application!
And it wouldn’t work well to try to have a reseller receive only an end user license.
Open Source Code And Your Rights
Yes, software intellectual property rights are a complex issue. And they get more complicated if the application uses a combination of custom and open source code. Because you can’t sell or give away more rights than you have in the first place.
Do you know exactly what rights you’ve got to your software application? Or what rights you’re granting others when distributing the software to them?
Perhaps it’s time to get the right software agreement(s) in place to protect what you own. And clean up any messes that have already been made before you end up in court over it.
How To Get Help
Do you need a new software agreement? Or help with an existing one? Set up a phone consultation with Software Lawyer Mike Young.
