Software Licensing

Software License  Software Licenses are agreements between the user and the software developer.  The user accepts this agreement prior to installing the software on their machine.  It is a legal contract that outlines acceptable uses of the program and any actions that violate the agreement.

Software Licenses  The license will state who the ultimate owner of the software is, under what circumstances copies of the software can be made, or whether the software can be installed on another machine.  The license will also state if any warranty comes with the software.

Software Piracy  A computer user who copies an application onto more than one computer, if the license does not permit this, is committing software piracy.  The most common way software has been pirated has been allowing other computer users to supplement each others software library by borrowing CDs and installing the borrowed software on their own computers.

Site License  A type of software licensing agreement that grants the purchaser permission to use the software on a network on a single site, with an unlimited number of end users. Usually this type of license allows you to copy and use the software on multiple computers at one site and is more expensive than purchasing a single copy but less expensive than purchasing a copy for each computer at the site. There may be a maximum specified number of simultaneous end users.

Business Software Alliance  The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is a non-profit trade association created to advance the goals of the software industry and its hardware partners.  BSA’s global mission is to promote a long- term legislative and legal environment in which the industry can prosper and to provide a unified voice for its members around the world.

Business Software Alliance  BSA policy priorities include: Protecting intellectual property (copyright, patents, tech mandates); Protecting intellectual property (copyright, patents, tech mandates); Opening markets to barrier-free trade; Opening markets to barrier-free trade; Data security; Data security; Increasing opportunities in Brazil, China, India, Russia, and other emerging markets; Increasing opportunities in Brazil, China, India, Russia, and other emerging markets; Software innovation and choice; Software innovation and choice; E-government; and E-government; and Workforce and education. Workforce and education.

Copyright  Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the U.S. government to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artists, and certain other intellectual works.  This protection is available to both published and unpublished works.

Pilferage  Reduction in inventory caused by shoplifting, or petty thievery by employees.

How these affect you and your employer