What is Software Licensing?
Software licensing is a contract of agreement between the software publisher and the end user, sometimes referred to as the End User License Agreement, or EULA. Though software licensing can be a paper agreement, it is most often imbedded in the software itself as part of the installation process. If the user does not agree to the software licensing terms, he or she can indicate so with a click. This aborts the installation process. In most cases, end users click in agreement whether they actually read the license or not. Most notably, software licensing protects the copyright by placing restrictions on the end user in relation to the product. Duplication for purposes other than backup, installation on more than one computer, editing the code, or changing the program in any way is usually forbidden. Software licenses might also restrict reverse engineering and bypassing controls intended to cut down on pirating. Aside from restrictive uses of the software, software licensing functions
Software licensing defined When you acquire a software license, you purchase the right to use the software based on the rules established by the owner of the copyright. The set of rules for software is the license. Each software installation requires a license to go with it. If a company purchases a software product, the license agreement dictates how many PCs the application can be installed on. Microsoft offers different license agreements and options based on a customer’s needs. These options include single licenses appropriate for a single installation to volume license programs which provide significant cost savings to customers who require many installations of the same program (for example, installing Microsoft Office on 300 PCs). By learning about Microsoft licensing options, you can determine the best, most cost-efficient way to obtain software and the associated licenses for your or your customer’s needs. Why is software licensing necessary? Licensing serves as valuable prote
