ソフトウェアライセンス契約 その２

もし、ライセンスフィーが、ユーザ数に応じて課金される場合には、Licensorへユーザ数報告をしなければいけません。その場合の規定の例は以下です。
〇　Reports on Number of User and Other Information
1) For distributions of User Programs by Licensee to User, Licensee shall provide Licensor, by no later than the end of the following month, monthly report detailing the number of Registered User of each month.
2) Licensor will calculate the amount of License Fee and support fees stipulated in the Section x in accordance with the formula mentioned in the schedule specified in Exhibit xx.
3) If Licensor wants to get other information (about system access authority and others), Licensor shall specify the type of the information and request Licensee to provide. Licensee shall furnish such information to Licensor within a reasonable period of time.

〇 Review of Licensee’s Compliance with the Agreement
Licensor may review Licensee’s compliance with this Agreement. Licensee agrees to provide Licensor with relevant records, particularly those relating to payments and the basis for payments, on request, and Licensee agrees to maintain such records for a period of two (2) years after the end of this Agreement. The review of Licensee's relevant records will be conducted at Licensor’s sole expense during Licensee’s normal business hours upon prior written notice to Licensee. Licensor will conduct no more than one such review in any half-year period. If any errors are found during the course of any review, Licensor and Licensee shall discuss in good faith as to such errors. Licensor will treat any information that Licensor obtains from the documents provided to or reviewed by Licensor as Licensee’s Confidential Information.

〇 Ownership
ライセンサーは、ライセンス供与、使用権許諾するにしても、許諾する権原があることが必要ですね。自ら開発しなくても他社からソフトウェア著作権を購入して、自分のものにすればいいのですけど、多くの場合は自ら独力で開発したものであるケースが多いと思います。
1) Licensor represents and warrants to Licensee that Licensor has independently developed all the Software Packages including the Documentation thereof and confirms that the Software Packages do not include any unauthorized software.
2) Licensee acknowledges and agrees that: (a) the Software Packages are protected under copyright and other laws and international treaty provisions; (b) Licensor retains all copyrights and other intellectual property rights in the Software Packages; (c) there are no implied licenses under this Agreement, and any rights not expressly granted to Licensee hereunder are reserved by Licensor; and (d) Licensee acquires no ownership or other interest, other than those rights explicitly stipulated in this Agreement, in or to the Software Packages.

〇Warranty
1) Licensor represents and warrants to Licensee that the Software Packages do not infringe any third party’s patent, copyright, trade secret and/or other intellectual property rights and has the authority to grant license, based on the rights and interest it holds, in accordance with the provisions of Section xx hereof.
2) Licensor warrants that the Software Packages, if operated as instructed by Licensor, will substantially achieve the functionality described in the Documentation in all material respects.
ソフトウェアの機能性を保証していますが、通常と異なるのは重要な点だけの保証ですね。
3) Licensor represents and warrants to Licensee that the Software Packages are free from any viruses, Trojan horse, any malicious and/or harmful programs, provided, however, that Licensor is not responsible for any viruses, Trojan horse, any malicious and/or harmful programs if these programs would be installed to User’s PC to damage, destroy or infect the Software Packages by any third party and/or User.
4) Licensor will not warrant that the Software Packages are free from bug and/or defects, and/or have no difference between the Software Packages and Documentation and Licensor does not warrant that the Software Packages conform fully to the requirements and purpose of User. Licensee must report warranty claims to Licensor as soon as possible when they are found.
ソフトウェアは莫大なソースコードからなっており、人が作成するものですので、bugや欠陥が無いとは保証できないですね。この規定は、ソフトウェアライセンス契約に特有もモノと言っていいでしょう。
5) Licensee’s remedy for any breach of the representations and/or warranties in this Section by Licensor shall be, at Licensor’s option, (i) to make bug-fix, repair or replace the defective Software Packages; (ii) to provide Licensee with a reasonable workaround so that the Software Packages substantially achieves the functionality described in the Documentation. Repaired, corrected, or replaced Software Packages (including Documentation) shall be covered by this limited warranty.
6) Except as otherwise stated in this Agreement, Licensor makes no other express, implied or statutory warranty and expressly disclaim all warranties of fitness for a particular purpose.
ここの書き方は、米国ではよくあるケースですね。Uniform Commercial Codeの2条に定める性能・品質保証の考え方です。詳しくは2011年3月12日Blog 英文契約のExpress & Implied Warrantyをご参照ください。（https://blog.goo.ne.jp/masaru320/m/201103）

その３に続きます。

ソフトウェアライセンス契約 その１

〇　ソフトウェアにはいろんな種類がありますね。WordやExcelの場合は、Microsoft社からソフトの使用権を購入し使用しますね。しかし、ソフトの中には、開発企業から使用権を得て、この使用権を基に、顧客・消費者に継続的にサービスを提供するソフトもあります。メルカリの場合は、どのようになっているのか知りませんが、例えば開発企業からメルカリのサーバーに、サーバータイプソフトの使用権を許諾し提供、メルカリは、そのソフトをインストールして顧客にサービスを提供する。メルカリのユーザはスマホなどにユーザプログラムをダウンロードしてサービスを利用する。ご承知のように、メルカリからは頻繁にソフトウェアの修正・アップデートの連絡が来ます。これらはbug fixですね。
ソフトウェアのライセンスには、使用権許諾と保守サポートを別々の契約で行う。保守サポート契約は、本体のソフト使用権の対価の20-15%ぐらいの対価を得て、Version Upを行うような契約もありますが、最近は継続使用のソフトウェアの場合は、保守サポート契約と一体となったものが多いのではないでしょうか。
今回は、このようなソフトウェアの使用許諾で、保守メインテナンス条項付きについて記載します。重要な点は、サービスを中断なく行うために、保証をどのように規定するか、保守・メインテナンスをどのように規定するかですね。類似の例では、政府が外注してソフトを作成してもらったコロナ対策ソフトがありましたね。保守をきちんとせず何か月も放置して非難を浴びました。

〇　ライセンス契約の主な条項（一般条項は除く）は、以下ぐらいでしょうか。
Definitions, Grant of License and Sublicense, Maintenance and Support, License and Support Fees, Restrictions on Use of the Software, Reports on Number of User and Other Information　User数に応じてライセンスフィーを決める場合は、この条項が必須ですね）, Review of Licensee’s Compliance with the Agreement, Ownership, Warranty, Confidential Information, Liability, Licensor Intellectual Property Indemnity, Agreement Structure, Contract Renewal and Termination, Exhibit – Maintenance and Support
上記の条項の中で、他の一般的な規定と異なるのは、保証、責任、保守サポート等でしょうか。特に、保守サポートは重要ですね。重要と思われる規定等について、以下具体的に記載してみましょう。特に重要な規定は、上記の内太字で書いた条項ですね。

〇　Definitions-ライセンスを供与するソフトの定義等、いろいろな定義が必要ですね。

〇　Grant of License and Sublicense
Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Licensor grants Licensee a non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-assignable right (the “License”) to use the Software Package as under for Licensee’s business to provide User with the Service in Japan. Both Parties acknowledge and agree that the License is granted by Licensor to Licensee only and not to its subsidiary, agent nor other third party. The License should not be shared with any Licensee’s subsidiary, agent or other third party. In case Licensee’s subsidiary, agent or cooperator need to use the License and/or they want to expand area of the Service other than Japan, such license shall be agreed and granted by Licensor through a separate contract.
1) the right to use the Software Package.
2) the right to sublicense and authorize Licensee to market and sublicense User Programs to User as an plug-in module in User’s PC and/or smart phone .

〇　Maintenance and Support
Licensor agrees to furnish Licensee with maintenance and support by itself and/or through its subsidiary in Japan for the Software Package including provision of patch and modified and/or enhanced version of the Software Package. The terms and conditions for that support coverage are as detailed in Exhibit A attached.
継続的に、お客様Userにサービスを提供するには、保守サポートが重要ですが、ある程度細かい規定となるので、通常は別紙に記載します。その別紙を更に細かく具体的に詳細に決める場合もありますね。

〇　License and Support Fees -いろいろなライセンス料や保守料の定めがありますね。

〇　Restrictions on Use of the Software Package
Licensee agrees;
1) that, except as otherwise permitted in this Agreement or as required by law, Licensee agrees not to : (i) disassemble, decompile, reverse compile or reverse engineer the Software Package; (ii) modify, copy or create derivative works based on the Software Package ; (iii) sell, give, rent, lease, loan, sublicense, distribute or transfer the Software Package, in whole or in part; (iv) process data or information for, or on behalf of any third party, using or having any manner of access to the Software Package; or (v) create ID other than the ID issued and granted by Licensor;
2) that, except as expressly permitted under this Agreement, Licensee may not sublicense or otherwise transfer any of the Software Package; and
3) and understands that the source code of the Software Package, if Licensor discloses to Licensee, shall not be exposed, disclosed or made directly or indirectly accessible to User and/or other third party.

以下、その２に続く。