Software Licensing

What is software licensing?

A software license is a formal agreement that lays out guidelines for the use and distribution of software. In most cases, software licenses grant end users the freedom to make one or more copies of the software without infringing on copyrights. The license may place limitations on how the software may be used and stipulates the obligations of the parties to the license agreement. Normally, the terms and conditions of software licensing agreements contain fair use of the program, liability limitations, warranties, and disclaimers. They also describe protections in case the program or someone else's use of it infringes on their intellectual property rights.