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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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[–] [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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