How Developers Protect Their Intellectual Property
Protection for intellectual property is important to any developer. This is the main purpose of software licensing. Through licensers, the developers can be assured that the buyers will honor the terms and conditions for the use or distribution of the software.
A home edition software, for example, is way much cheaper but it will be stated in its terms and conditions that it is solely for personal and non-profit use. There will be consequences for violating these terms. So if the user intends to make a profit with the use of the software he or she need to purchase a commercial license. Such license it more expensive, because the user receives gains from using the software. In the absence of a license, many people could use the homebased versions of the software to endlessly gain profits and this does not do justice to the developer. The good news is that there is now a software escrow service, which protects further the intellectual property of a developer from inappropriate use or reproduction.
Apart from taking advantage of a software escrow service, developers should select the most appropriate type of license for their software, as there is a number. The most popular type is known as the end-user license agreement which is seen with almost every software that can be obtained out-of-shelves. Technically, it is a written agreement between user and the software developer or its representative. This agreement governs the use of the software.
The next type of license has an expiration and this one is known as Saas or software as service license. When it expires, the user would have to renew subscription to continue the use of the product or certain features of the product. It offers users with flexibility of options and that is why many people find this type of license quite advantageous.
Other than these two popular types, there are other kinds of licenses that will suit the purpose of the developer. Needless to say, whatever type you as the developer choose to use, it is still important to tap into the use of a software escrow service.
The next concern for the developer is how to choose the best license. No particular type of license is perfect that is why the developer should carefully identify the specific needs of his or her business. This will help him choose the most appropriate license to use. Never forget how software escrow service would still be important.
To summarized, software license actual protect the interest of both the user and the software developer but mostly the developer. However, software escrow service is important to reinforce the protection of the license. To find out more, read this.