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License to ask for for custom software? (lemmy.world)
submitted 5 months ago by to c/programming@programming.dev
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Someone I know asked me for a favour. They made an agreement with a software firm for some custom software for basically inventory on a web interface, generic DB+webserver. They need me to do updates to it as a favour.

It's handoff time. The guys are giving him some trouble. I let them know if I need to do maintainence and whatnot, I need the source code. The guys are saying no. I recommended we use a licence that basically says "Buyer can modify the software and source code, but not distrobute it. Creator can distrobute the software and whatever they want".

I've looked around, and I saw recommendations for :

  • source code escrow
  • internal-use license
  • Modified Source Code License
  • custom Restricted Source Code License
  • internal modification only licence

anyone have recommendations of specific licences?

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[–] 8 points 5 months ago (2 children)

What the other person is saying is that the ACQ should be seeing a lawyer and making SWF pay for the lawyer to figure out a license.

Your involvement is the maintenance part. You owe your buddy big time, that's fine, but from the sounds of it, you aren't a lawyer. Don't do lawyer stuff. Let the lawyers do their thing and you do your maintenance work.

SWF should also have their lawyer draft a contract for your involvement which you will be able to sign to be able to do the work.

We're telling you dude, cover your ass. You don't want to end up on the wrong side of a law suit just because you were doing your part.

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 5 months ago (1 child)

    What the other person is saying is that the ACQ should be seeing a lawyer and making SWF pay for the lawyer to figure out a license.

    Yep, this is already happening. I am just trying to help ACQ understand that if they want me to do updates, I need source code, and to get source code, maybe they need to have a software licence, maybe something like X. I am asking this board for recommendations on what X could be.

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  • [–] 3 points 5 months ago

    Gotcha, sorry didn't understand that. In the code that I've seen so far, there has been no license. Everything was handled in the contract. "Everything you touch is owned by us, all code you write for this project is owned by us, and if you leak it or show it to a third parry without our consent, we have you by the balls". Pretty much been my experience.

    Sometimes there's been a short header in every file "This code is copyrighted and owned by $Company".

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