Books about Software Licenses

Amazon.com
Shop for books
(Advertisement)

Disclosure: Products details and descriptions provided by Amazon.com. Our company may receive a payment if you purchase products from them after following a link from this website.

The Tech Contracts Handbook: Software Licenses and Technology Services Agreements for Lawyers and Businesspeople

By David Tollen

American Bar Association
Paperback (250 pages)

List Price: $89.95^*
Lowest New Price: $53.18^*
Lowest Used Price: $54.50^*
Usually ships in 24 hours^*
^*(As of 14:26 Pacific 5 Feb 2012 More Info)

Click Here

Product Description:
This is a practical and accessible reference book and training manual on IT contracts. It's a clause-by-clause "how to" guide on software licenses and technology services agreements, covering the issues at stake and offering negotiation tips and sample contract language.

This handbook is for both lawyers and businesspeople, including contract managers, procurement officers, corporate counsel, salespeople, and anyone else responsible for getting IT deals done. Perhaps most important, this book uses simple English, like a good contract.

Topics covered include:

Software as a service (SaaS) and cloud computing agreements
Warranties
Indemnities
Open source software
Service level agreements
Nondisclosure agreements
Limitations of liability
Internet and e-commerce contracts
Software escrow
Data security
Copyright licensing
And much more

Practical Guide to Software Licensing: For Licensees and Licensors

By H. Ward Classen ABA Paperback (900 pages)	List Price: $139.95^* Lowest New Price: $88.17^* Not yet published^* ^(As of 14:26 Pacific 5 Feb 2012 More Info) Click Here*
Product Description: Revised and updated, this new fourth edition examines the fundamental issues that both licensors and licensees confront in the negotiation of a software license and, where appropriate, looks at relevant ancillary issues such as software development as well as mainteance and support.

How to License Your Million Dollar Idea: Cash In On Your Inventions, New Product Ideas, Software, Web Business Ideas, And More

By Harvey Reese

Wiley
Paperback (225 pages)

List Price: $24.95^*
Lowest New Price: $15.53^*
Lowest Used Price: $15.01^*
Usually ships in 24 hours^*
^*(As of 14:26 Pacific 5 Feb 2012 More Info)

Click Here

Product Description:
The classic guide to cashing in on your million-dollar idea

Whether you've invented a great new product, or you have an idea for an app, an online business, or a reality show, How to License Your Million Dollar Idea delivers the information you need to snag a great licensing deal. Now in its third edition, this book has become the go-to source for budding inventors and entrepreneurs who have great ideas and want to cash in on them without putting themselves in financial risk. Licensing is the way to make that happen and this book explains exactly how it's done.

You'll get tested advice on how to protect your ideas and find a licensee for new products, apps, TV game shows, websites, software, and more. You'll also learn how to develop your creative thinking skills and objectively evaluate your ideas.

Explains how to protect your new idea with or without patents and copyrights
Directs you in finding the perfect person at the right company and on how to prepare a presentation that gets you to a "yes"
Reviews sample licensing contracts to help you understand what your creativity and achievement entitles you to

You'll also read accounts from profitable inventors on their own goof-ups and brilliant moves along their paths to success.

The Software License Unveiled: How Legislation by License Controls Software Access

By Douglas E. Phillips

Oxford University Press, USA
Hardcover (232 pages)

List Price: $85.00^*
Lowest New Price: $56.08^*
Lowest Used Price: $56.08^*
Usually ships in 24 hours^*
^*(As of 14:26 Pacific 5 Feb 2012 More Info)

Click Here

Product Description:
Millions of computer users regularly bind themselves to software license terms with the click of a mouse, usually without reading anything but the word "agree." Licenses for software as diverse as Microsoft Windows and Linux, and terms of use for websites such as Facebook, are all subject not only to intellectual property and commercial law, but also to the private law of the license, which comes in many forms, each with its advocates. Microsoft, for example, maintains that its proprietary model gives users the rights they need while creating the incentives that have made the United States the global software leader, while Richard Stallman - creator of the GNU General Public License and author of a number of free software programs - asserts that proprietary licensing enables software companies to "hoard" software they should be sharing.

In The Software License Unveiled, Douglas Phillips looks at both of these extremes and questions how these proliferating but largely unread license terms affect access to software, one of the economy's most valuable resources. While highlighting the obvious divergences, he makes the more illuminating case that most current models - spanning the spectrum from proprietary to free - have one key feature in common: to an increasing extent, each license model extends, modifies, or displaces public law that would otherwise apply. Unlike books that advocate one form of licensing or another, this one reframes the debate to propose that going forward a key challenge for lawyers, scholars, policymakers, and the public is to consider whether "legislation by license" should be the means for controlling software access.

Understanding Open Source and Free Software Licensing

By Andrew M. St. Laurent

O'Reilly Media
Paperback (224 pages)

List Price: $29.99^*
Lowest New Price: $17.94^*
Lowest Used Price: $14.99^*
Usually ships in 24 hours^*
^*(As of 14:26 Pacific 5 Feb 2012 More Info)

Click Here

Product Description:

If you've held back from developing open source or free software projects because you don't understand the implications of the various licenses, you're not alone. Many developers believe in releasing their software freely, but have hesitated to do so because they're concerned about losing control over their software. Licensing issues are complicated, and both the facts and fallacies you hear word-of-mouth can add to the confusion.

Understanding Open Source and Free Software Licensing helps you make sense of the different options available to you. This concise guide focuses on annotated licenses, offering an in-depth explanation of how they compare and interoperate, and how license choices affect project possibilities. Written in clear language that you don't have to be a lawyer to understand, the book answers such questions as: What rights am I giving up? How will my use of OS/FS licensing affect future users or future developers? Does a particular use of this software--such as combining it with proprietary software--leave me vulnerable to lawsuits?

Following a quick look at copyright law, contracts, and the definition of "open source," the book tackles the spectrum of licensing, including:

The MIT (or X), BSD, Apache and Academic Free licenses
The GPL, LGPL, and Mozilla licenses
The QT, Artistic, and Creative Commons licenses
Classic Proprietary licenses
Sun Community Source license and Microsoft Shared Source project

The book wraps up with a look at the legal effects--both positive and negative--of open source/free software licensing.

Licensing is a major part of what open source and free software are all about, but it's still one of the most complicated areas of law. Even the very simple licenses are tricky. Understanding Open Source and Free Software Licensing bridges the gap between the open source vision and the practical implications of its legal underpinnings. If open source and free software licenses interest you, this book will help you understand them. If you're an open source/free software developer, this book is an absolute necessity.

Software Licensing Handbook, Second Edition

By Jeffrey I. Gordon Lulu.com Paperback (356 pages)	List Price: $114.95^* Lowest New Price: $88.82^* Lowest Used Price: $108.73^* Usually ships in 24 hours^* ^(As of 14:26 Pacific 5 Feb 2012 More Info) Click Here*
Product Description: Software Licensing Handbook, Second Edition

Software Agreements Line by Line: A Detailed Look at Software Contracts and Licenses & How to Change Them to Fit Your Needs

By Michael Overly

West
Released: 2009-06-21
Kindle Edition

List Price: $49.46^*
^*(As of 14:26 Pacific 5 Feb 2012 More Info)

Click Here

Product Description:
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 the software user/vendor contract. As there has long been a disconnect between the express interests of the end user and the objectives of the vendor party in the developing, drafting and executing of such contracts, Software Licenses Line by Line serves to bridge this gap. Taking a standard agreement and breaking it down clause by clause, explaining the nuances of the language and the implications inherent there within, authors Michael Overly and James Kalyvas (partners at Foley & Lardner) present a comprehensive overview of a contract, detail how it can be manipulated, offer practical solutions to prevent against this and suggest ways in which it might be adapted to meet the needs of the end user. A never-before offered glimpse into the often daunting world of these highly-technical agreements, Software Licenses Line by Line highlights the often overlooked, unnoticed and even hidden aspects of authorizing, purchasing and leveraging such business-critical assets. The ability to understand and develop user-friendly software licenses and agreements offers unparalleled advantages for any company invested in, or making decisions around, purchasing software. This book will prove instrumental in rendering any reader an informed user, a more strategic thinker and above all, an empowered consumer.

Intellectual Property and Open Source: A Practical Guide to Protecting Code

By Van Lindberg

O'Reilly Media
Paperback (400 pages)

List Price: $34.99^*
Lowest New Price: $26.53^*
Lowest Used Price: $20.99^*
Usually ships in 24 hours^*
^*(As of 14:26 Pacific 5 Feb 2012 More Info)

Click Here

Product Description:

"Clear, correct, and deep, this is a welcome addition to discussions of law and computing for anyone -- even lawyers!" -- Lawrence Lessig, Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and founder of the Stanford Center for Internet and Society

If you work in information technology, intellectual property is central to your job -- but dealing with the complexities of the legal system can be mind-boggling. This book is for anyone who wants to understand how the legal system deals with intellectual property rights for code and other content. You'll get a clear look at intellectual property issues from a developer's point of view, including practical advice about situations you're likely to encounter.

Written by an intellectual property attorney who is also a programmer, Intellectual Property and Open Source helps you understand patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and licenses, with special focus on the issues surrounding open source development and the GPL. This book answers questions such as:

How do open source and intellectual property work together?
What are the most important intellectual property-related issues when starting a business or open source project?
How should you handle copyright, licensing and other issues when accepting a patch from another developer?
How can you pursue your own ideas while working for someone else?
What parts of a patent should be reviewed to see if it applies to your work?
When is your idea a trade secret?
How can you reverse engineer a product without getting into trouble?
What should you think about when choosing an open source license for your project?

Most legal sources are too scattered, too arcane, and too hard to read. Intellectual Property and Open Source is a friendly, easy-to-follow overview of the law that programmers, system administrators, graphic designers, and many others will find essential.

Computer Software and Information Licensing in Emerging Markets: the Need for a Viable Legal Framework (International Economic Development Law)

By Aunya Sinsangob

Springer
Hardcover (328 pages)

List Price: $217.00^*
Lowest New Price: $198.83^*
Lowest Used Price: $145.00^*
Usually ships in 24 hours^*
^*(As of 14:26 Pacific 5 Feb 2012 More Info)

Click Here

Product Description:
There is no longer any doubt that, for the foreseeable future, public access to computer software and information is essential for the economic development of every country on earth, rich and poor. Yet it is precisely here, in this most forward-looking of technologies, that the ancient legal battle lines of private ownership versus public interest are being drawn again, with extreme intransigence, in the field of international law pertaining to intellectual property rights. In a situation bristling with ironies, it is particularly disturbing that the rampant software piracy in developing nations undermines local development of this crucial economic sector, halting growth and actually reinforcing the global dominance of a few U.S. companies. It is urgently necessary to create a legal framework that not only protects licensors and makes piracy unattractive, but also fosters the growth of software and information industries in every country – and particularly in those emerging countries most desperate for economic recovery.

In this signally important book Dr. Singsangob presents the case for such a framework with rigour and intensity. His clear-sighted analysis brings into relief, time and time again, many relevant factors, including the following: the ongoing business strategy whereby owners of software and information impose licensing agreements drawn up to their own advantage while merely paying lip service to meaningful reform of copyright law; the vicious cycle that sets in when a country cannot control the internal distribution of software and information, leading to a general lack of confidence in that country's standards and quality and the consequent withdrawal of investment; and the need for a gradual transition from the contract-based licensing approach (albeit on a more equitable basis) to a specific law such as the model law in preparation by UNCITRAL. Dr. Singsangob's study is enhanced by in-depth comparative analysis of numerous provisions in applicable laws of the United States, Thailand, and the European Union, as well as international conventions and the U.S. Uniform Computer Information Transaction Act (UCITA). Although he clearly exposes the conflicts and incompatibilities that underlie the complexity of this area of the law, he argues that a viable legal regime is not far to seek, although time must be allowed for the current bias in favour of licensors to be corrected. He asserts that some such fundamental legal change must occur if we are to have a democratic future.

This is a book that promises to bear fruit in the thinking and policymaking of professionals in a number of fields, including economic development, contract law, technology development, and communications law.