Make Sure You Know About Your Business Software!

Top Things You Must Know About Business Software

Business software is a tricky industry and one that you need to really understand the ins and outs of to master. There are a lot of legal issues that go into business software and are important to be aware of. It is important to understand what you must do to patent business software and to keep up with the legal requirements of the software you own.

Here are a few important tips to better understand the legality of creating business software:

Is there a Patent Similar to Yours?

With software, just as with anything else, it has to be patented. What is important when you are patenting software is that it is actually unique. There can’t be two patented software programs that are the same; a patent is for a unique idea, so make sure that yours is before you attempt to get the patent. Trying to patent an item can be costly, and you don’t want to spend money that shouldn’t be spent.

Test Your Software

You must test your software. If you don’t test your business software, there is going to be an issue. You need to run any program that you create for a business software platform because you need to be aware of any bugs that exist. To do this, you are going to want to test it with a test group and test it internally. Make sure you have detailed reporting on this so you can get proper results and see if there are any bugs.

Know the Privacy Laws

With business software, you need to make sure that you are not violating any privacy laws. If your business software is recording any private information that needs to be removed from the software program, it will get you in legal trouble. However, it is okay to share certain information with third parties, but you need a disclaimer so that people that use the software are aware the information is being collected. You cannot sell any of your users’ information without their permission!

Have Safety Instructions Spelled Out

Although most likely people creating business software don’t want to have this problem, you need to let users know if there are any issues with the software. These issues would come about from testing the software. If, for example, in a small percentage of installed programs that were tested, there was a bug, it would need to be disclosed. Not disclosing something like this with detailed safety instructions can expose you to a lawsuit.

When it comes to covering yourself in regards to the business software you’ve created, you need to do a few things. Be sure that you have patented and tested your program. You also will want to very clearly list that information. If a problem should arise, you will want to hire an attorney that specializes in business software, or at least patent law, so that they are able to properly represent you.

NEXT: Protect Your Business Productivity Software!