Software Agreements Line by Line

By Michael Overly and James Kalyvas

Book Overview

In such a business climate that demands a heightened understanding and keen ability to leverage essential technologies, one must understand every element of an agreement as critical and essential as... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1587623692
• ISBN13: 9781587623691
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Aspatore Books
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.3" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Software Licensing Toolkit

There are a number of reasons this book is an excellent resource for both the person who is just starting out reviewing software license and related agreements and those who have experience. The first, and probably most important reason, is that it's clearly written. Although it has to contain legal terminology and jargon it doesn't contain unnecessary legalese and where it does it explains the concepts concisely and clearly. It provides excellent examples in a before and after format so that's it is very clear what the author intends. It contains checklists at the end of most of the sections so that, for both new and experienced reviewers, you can make sure you don't miss any of the important issues in the contract you're reviewing. This is clearly a summary book and while you probably should read it cover to cover at least once, it's one of those books you should keep handy as a quick reference. If you're just starting out reviewing software licenses I'd recommend this Line-by-Line book and a more comprehensive overview book Software Licensing Handbook, Second Edition. Both will provide the what, why, and how of software license reviews and negotiations.

Great breakdown of license terms

I found this book to be extremely useful when working on vedor agreements. The author breaks down the license agreement and provides reasoning on why certain terms should be changed as well as proposed language that is suitable. this book is a great tool when you find yourself on the procurement side of the fence.

Thorough and on target

If you develop or evaluate RFPs, acquire software, or even are involved in contracting for services this book is an essential resource. I'll be frank about the readability - it's tough to plow through this book. The authors are terse and the writing style dense. However, when you consider a typical license agreement, contract terms and conditions and the stilted language associated with them, if you cannot deal with the writing style in this book you'll probably find contract and license evaluation ponderous as well.I like the way this book presents information and advice by starting with a typical vendor agreement, then leading you through it, line-by-line as the title implies, and explaining the implications. It also shows how to modify each term or condition.Another area I like is the chapter on software specifications and acceptance testing. I've worked with one client after another which licensed expensive software (in some cases to the tune of over a million dollars), or application services, without performing acceptance testing. The advice on this critical part of licensing is solid and should be carefully heeded. The chapter on maintenance and support covers another area that is too often overlooked in the acquisition process, and one that will almost certainly be important after the contract is signed. Again, carefully consider the advice in this chapter because it addresses a critical area. One final aspect of this book I like is Appendix A, which cross-references this book's chapters to vendor licensing provisions. This makes this book easy to use when evaluating licenses and contracts.Take the time to read this book, then apply it to real world contracting and licensing and you will find yourself referring to it often.

A Must-Read for Attorneys

I am a practicing attorney and I found this book extremely useful. Thanks to the authors for writing it.

The Book to Read on Software Contracts

Having worked on hundreds of software contracts - from both a vendor and customer standpoint, I can honestly say this book would have made my life 100x easier throughout the years. I can not stress enough how valuable the content is in this book for anyone signing, or composing, a software contract. I guarantee this book will become "the industry standard" on the subject.