SaaS Agreements – Software – Copyright Protection

The Advocate General ruled that the functionalities of software are simply “the service which the user expects” from the computer programme. For example, when using software to book an airline ticket the functionalities of the booking process will be the same regardless of which company’s software you use. Such services cannot be protected by copyright. However, what can be protected by copyright, is the means by which the functionalities are achieved as this reflects the author’s own intellectual creation. Protection will depend upon the degree of originality in the writing of the software.

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SaaS Agreements – Reseller/Distribution – Terms to Include

When using a local partner to resell your SaaS software to customers outside of the countries in which you are based, you will need to have a distributor/reseller agreement in place between yourself and each distributor/reseller. This will in part mirror your standard SaaS terms and conditions but will also need to include additional clauses to cover the issues set out below. Applicable Law and Language Usually your reseller will be located in another country. The reseller will be selling your SaaS software to its customers using its own local

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SaaS Agreements – Need for an Escrow Agreement

Having an escrow agreement in place protects all parties involved in the development, supply and use of business critical SaaS applications. It provides customers with peace of mind for securing long-term availability of a critical SaaS application by enabling customers to update software and fix any bugs even if the supplier is no longer able to support them.

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SaaS Agreements – Data Protection – Google Analytics in Germany

If your website uses Google analytics and you provide SaaS services to customers based in Germany you are now required to provide specific information to users in order to comply with recent changes to German data protection law. Google Analytics and German Data Protection Google analytics collects statistics about website users by „tracking” an individual’s use of a website. This information is then made available to website operators free of charge. Following an agreement between Google and the German data protection authorities it is now the responsibility of the operators

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