Software licence and maintenance agreement (standard)
This is our standard-form software licence and maintenance agreement template. It includes all of the provisions typically found in this type of document, with a number of optional clauses, but does not have quite the flexibility of the long-form (premium) version.
The key clauses, and the questions they answer, are as follows.
Software supply - How will the licensee access the software?
Set up services - What if any assistance will the licensor give to the licensee in relation to the installation, configuration and integration of the software?
Acceptance procedure - What if any procedure will be followed after the delivery of the software to determine if it meets its specification?
Licence - What rights does the licensee have to use the software and allow others to use the software? How are those rights limited?
Licence audit - Does the licensor have the right to review the licensee's use of the software?
Maintenance - What rights and obligations does each party have in relation to the updating/upgrading of the software and its maintenance generally?
Note that this template is unsuitable for B2C software licensing arrangements.
Get help with this documentSoftware licence and maintenance agreement (standard) contents
- Definitions: definitions.
- Term: commencement of term; end of term.
- Supply of
Software : making software available for download; delivery of software; acknowledgement of supply of software. Set Up Services : obligation to provide set up services; set up services timetable; delays in set up services consequent upon second party delays; software set up services and intellectual property rights.- Acceptance procedure: obligation to carry our acceptance tests; licence to conduct software acceptance tests; assistance with acceptance tests; notification of results of acceptance tests; software deemed to pass acceptance tests; information upon notice of failure to pass acceptance tests; consequences of software acceptance test failure; number of acceptance testing rounds; consequences of acceptance of software.
- Licence: grant of licence to use software; software licence purpose; no sub-licensing of software; right to sub-license software; software licence limitations; use of software limited to specified persons; compliance with EULA; software licence prohibitions; security of licensed software; prerequisite software.
- Source Code: no licence of source code.
- Licence audit: right to audit licences; notice of audit; cooperation in relation to audit; costs of licence audit; limits on audit right.
Maintenance Services : maintenance services provision; standard of maintenance services; maintenance services in accordance with SLA; software updates and upgrades warranty (first party application); software updates and upgrades warranty (second party application); suspension of maintenance services; termination of maintenance services for convenience; discontinuing software maintenance services; consequences of termination of maintenance services.- Licenseeobligations: general second party obligations; access to computer systems.
- No assignment of
Intellectual Property Rights : no assignments of intellectual property rights. - Charges: obligation to pay charges; time-base charges limitations; amounts inclusive or exclusive of VAT; variation of charges.
- Timesheets: obligation to keep timesheets; obligation to supply timesheets.
- Payments: issue of invoices; time for payment of charges following invoice; payment methods; interest on late payments; interest on late payments.
- Licensor's confidentiality obligations: first party confidentiality undertaking; disclosure of confidential information by first party to certain persons; exceptions to first party's confidentiality obligations; disclosures of second party confidential information mandated by law etc; first party to stop using confidential information upon termination; first party to return or destroy confidential information following termination; first party confidentiality obligations after termination.
- Licensee's confidentiality obligations: second party confidentiality undertaking; disclosure of confidential information by second party to certain persons; exceptions to second party's confidentiality obligations; disclosures of first party confidential information mandated by law etc; second party to stop using confidential information upon termination; second party to return or destroy confidential information following termination; second party confidentiality obligations after termination.
- Warranties: first party general warranties; software licence warranties; warranty of legality of software; software intellectual property infringement warranty; breach of software infringement warranty; second party warranty of authority; exclusion of implied warranties and representations.
- Acknowledgements and warranty limitations: software not error free; software not entirely secure; software compatibility is limited; no legal etc advice with software.
- Indemnities: indemnity upon breach: any provision or specified provisions (with definition); conditions upon first party indemnity; indemnity upon breach: any provision or specified provisions (with definition); conditions upon second party indemnity; limitations of liability vs indemnities.
- Limitations and exclusions of liability: caveats to limits of liability; interpretation of limits of liability; no liability for force majeure; no liability for loss of profits; no liability for loss of revenue; no liability for loss of use; no liability for loss of opportunities; no liability for loss of data or software; no liability for consequential loss; per event liability cap upon services contract; aggregate liability cap upon services contract.
Force Majeure Event : obligations suspended for force majeure; force majeure notification and information; mitigation of effects of force majeure.- Termination: termination without cause by first party; termination without cause by second party; termination upon breach; termination upon insolvency; termination upon non-payment.
- Effects of termination: surviving provisions upon termination; termination does not affect accrued rights; charges on termination of contract (services and licences); software licences on contract termination; software copies on contract termination.
- Notices: contractual notices must be in writing; methods of sending contractual notices; contact details for contractual notices; substitute contact details for notices; acknowledgement of notice by email; deemed receipt of contractual notices.
- Subcontracting: no subcontracting without consent; subcontracting permitted; first party responsible for subcontracted obligations.
- Assignment: assignment by first party; assignment by second party.
- No waivers: no unwritten waivers of breach; no continuing waiver.
- Severability: severability of whole; severability of parts.
- Third party rights: third party rights: benefit; third party rights: exercise of rights.
- Variation: variation in writing and signed.
- Entire agreement: entire agreement: documents; no misrepresentation; section subject to caveats to limits of liability.
- Law and jurisdiction: governing law; jurisdiction.
- Interpretation: statutory references; section headings not affecting interpretation; calendar month meaning; no ejusdem generis.
SCHEDULE 1 (SOFTWARE LICENCE PARTICULARS)
- Specification of
Software : specification of software prompt. Set Up Services : specification of software set up services prompt.- Timetable: timetable prompt.
Software licence: specification of software licence prompt.- Financial provisions: financial provisions prompt.
SCHEDULE 2 (MAINTENANCE SLA)
- Introduction: introduction to maintenance SLA.
Updates : notice of software updates; provision of software updates; application of software updates; provision and application of software updates; consequences of not applying software update.Upgrades : upgrade release roadmap; obligation to release upgrades; notice of software upgrades; provision of software upgrades; application of software upgrades; provision and application of software upgrades; consequences of not applying software upgrade.
SCHEDULE 3 (EULA)
- EULA add prompt.