Onerous tech agreements are killing your company

Beware: Many software licenses are DESIGNED to ensure you will violate the terms & conditions. Existing SAM certifications minimize this issue, apparently brushing off comprehensive license definitions; terms & conditions detailing; and document management as if these topics are virtually irrelevant.  This "partial" coverage gives you a false sense of security while leaving you defenseless.

Here's the thing: The agreements that legally bind your company to copyright protected products are carefully designed by well-paid lawyers representing the software industry players to ensure that you - the software consumer - have no rights while the software publisher retains all rights. On the flip side of the equation? The software publisher has none of the responsibilities and the software consumer has ALL of them.

Following is a brief video/audio example of the typical Warranty terms of a very common software product. As you listen, keep in mind that you are purchasing a business tool that could easily wipe out your company if it fails to deliver the value for which you purchased the product. Unfortunately, the Warranty clearly states that the product DOES NOT HAVE TO WORK.

You'll find the basic software Warranty slide deck (with sound) HERE.

The Institute for Technology Asset Management has identified over 42 distinct software license types - in the client-server environment alone. We've also disassembled several common licenses into individual terms & conditions to help practitioners better understand their relationships. Our object is to bring software asset management & compliance assurance training into the next generation of quality. When you genuinely understand the ROOT CAUSE of software licensing & compliance issues, you take the first major step in gaining maximum value with minimal risk from your software portfolio of goods, services, & contractual relationships.

Take a look at our Software &; Copyright Compliance Assurance (SCCA) and Software Asset Management (SAM) credential roadmaps. Merely click on the acronyms to download the PDF. Both programs are available as online, on-demand, professional development sessions.