Assignment of Rights in Computer Software - With Reservations
Assignment Agreement made as of __________________ (date) by
_________________________ (Name of Assignor) , a corporation organized and
existing under the laws of the state of ______________, with its principal office located
at ____________________________________________________________________
_____________________ (street address, city, state, zip code) , hereinafter called
Assignor , to _______________________ (Name of Assignee) , a corporation
organized and existing under the laws of the state of ______________, with its principal
office located at _________________________________________________________
________________________ (street address, city, state, zip code) , hereinafter
called Assignee .
Whereas, Assignor owns a proprietary computer software system known as
______________________________ (name of system) , hereinafter called the
Software or the System ; and
Whereas, Assignee desires to use the Software and Assignor desires to make
the Software available to Assignee in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth
in this Agreement;
Now, therefore, for and in consideration of the mutual covenants contained in this
Agreement, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of
which is hereby acknowledged, the parties agree as follows:
1. Assignment of Right to Use Software
A. Assignor hereby assigns Assignee the nontransferable, nonexclusive,
right to use the Software which is described in Exhibit A , attached to and made
a part of this Agreement, subject to the conditions of this Agreement.
B. Legal title to the Software and Software documentation provided under
this Agreement shall remain in Assignor as its sole property subject to Assignee's
rights specified in this Agreement.
2. Use of System
A. The parties agree that the Software is proprietary to Assignor. Assignee
agrees that the Software and all related data, whether oral or written, and
furnished under this Agreement constitute a valuable asset and trade secret of
Assignor and are provided for Assignee's use for the purposes of this Agreement
and will be held in confidence.
B. Assignee agrees not to duplicate or disclose any information provided
relative to the Software in whole or in part, or for the use of others, and to protect
such information in the same fashion as it protects its own proprietary or
confidential information. Assignee will not remove any designation mark from any
supplied materials that identifies such materials as belonging to or developed by
Assignor.
C. Assignee will use the Software only for its internal data processing
purpose and will not use the Software in any manner for or by a third party. In no
event shall Assignee use the Software in a third-party computer services bureau
or time sharing operation.
D. Assignee is not restricted from providing copies of the user documentation
to other Assignee internal parties for whom Assignee may be providing data
processing services.
3. Term
A. The term of Agreement is from __________________ (date) to
__________________ (date) , and subject to the terms and conditions set forth in
this Agreement unless terminated in accordance with the provisions of Sections
9 and/or 10.
B. To renew this Agreement for a successive (e.g., one year) ___________
periods, Assignee shall: (set forth conditions) __________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________ .
4. Time and Place of Installation and Acceptance
A. Assignor shall deliver the Software to Assignee at the address set forth
above within ______ (number) days after Assignee's order and deposit check
are received by Assignor.
B. Assignor shall install the Software at the address set forth in Paragraph D,
within _______ (number) days after delivering the Software, but in no event later
than _____________________ (date) .
C. The Software shall be deemed accepted by Assignee on successful
completion of Software checkout by Assignor at the time of installation. Such
checkout may be witnessed by Assignee.
D. The Software will be installed solely on one computer as follows:
Brand Name: _____________________;
Model No.: __________________;
Serial No.: ________________________; and
Location: ________________________________________________
_________________ (street address, city, county, state, zip code) .
E. Assignee may transfer the Software to another computer system or move
the computer system specified above to another physical location provided prior
written approval is obtained from Assignor. Such approval shall not be
unreasonably withheld by Assignor.
5. Terms of Payment
A. Assignee shall pay Assignor ______% of the Software price at the signing
of the purchase order. The balance will be paid in accordance with the Payment
Schedule, attached hereto as Exhibit B and made a part of this Agreement.
B. Unless otherwise stated, all prices are exclusive of state and local use,
sale, and similar taxes. Any applicable taxes will be paid by Assignee, which
taxes will appear as separate additional items on Assignor's invoices unless
Assignee provides Assignor with a valid tax exemption certificate acceptable to
the taxing authorities.
C. All payments shall be due within _____ days after receipt of Assignor's
invoice. Any payment received after its due date shall bear an interest rate of
______% per month, or the legal limit, whichever is less, for each month or
fraction of a month beyond the payment due date.
D. The Software shall be returned to Assignor if the required fees are not
paid in full.
E. A cancellation service fee will be charged for all cancelled orders equal to
______% of the total value of the order. Assignor shall have the right to invoice
Assignee for any services provided at no charge under this Agreement in the
event of such cancellation.
6. Warranty
A. Assignor warrants that the Software at the time of installation will perform
in accordance with the current user's manual.
B. Assignor's liability is limited as follows:
1. Over a period of _____ months after installation of the Software,
Assignor, at its expense, will correct any errors in the Software
attributable solely to Assignor.
2. Assignor shall be relieved of any and all obligations with respect to
Paragraph A of this Section for any portions of the Software that
are revised, changed, modified, or maintained by anyone other than
Assignor. Assignee may modify the Software, but Assignor shall not be
responsible for compatibility of such modified Software with equipment,
other equipment, other programs, future program releases or test
and verification routines, or engineering change orders.
C. Assignor warrants that the Software will function on all supported models
of the ( specify types of computers) _____________________________
________________________ , including new models that are delivered by
the manufacturer and completely compatible with it, provided, however,
that Assignee has elected Software maintenance pursuant to Section 8
and complied with Section 4 .
D. Assignor shall indemnify and hold Assignee harmless from any liability
suffered by Assignee arising out of any defects in the rights of Assignor to the
Software at the time of delivery, provided that, if any such claim is asserted
against Assignee, Assignor shall be notified of the same by Assignee within
_______ days of receipt by Assignee of knowledge of such asserted claim,
and Assignor consequently shall be given the right and option to conduct and
bear the cost of any defense against such claim up to the amounts paid by
Assignee.
E. ASSIGNOR MAKES NO OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
7. Limitation of Liability
EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SECTION 6, ASSIGNEE AGREES THE MAXIMUM
LIABILITY ASSUMED BY ASSIGNOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT, REGARDLESS OF THE
CLAIM OR THE FORM OF ACTION OR SUIT, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE, OR
TORT, SHALL BE LIMITED TO CORRECTION OR REPLACEMENT COSTS, OR
$____________, WHICHEVER IS LESS. IN NO EVENT SHALL ASSIGNOR BE LIABLE FOR
SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF ASSIGNOR HAS BEEN
ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. ASSIGNEE AGREES TO INDEMNIFY
OR OTHERWISE HOLD ASSIGNOR HARMLESS FROM ALL CLAIMS OF THIRD PARTIES
THAT MAY ARISE FROM ASSIGNEE'S USE OF THE ITEMS DELIVERED UNDER THIS
AGREEMENT. ASSIGNEE'S REMEDIES IN THIS AGREEMENT ARE EXCLUSIVE.
8. Optional Software Maintenance Service
Assignee shall have the option to obtain Software maintenance services on an
annual basis from Assignor, on payment of the fee described in the then-current
Assignor price list, which service:
A. Becomes effective on the date of Software acceptance as defined in
Section 4 ;
B. Provides Assignee the same warranties set forth in Section 6 ;
C. Includes automatic updates of all corrections developed or implemented
by Assignor to modules of the Software provided during the annual term of each
maintenance agreement;
D. Includes reasonable telephone consulting (up to ____ hours per month)
and manual updates for _____sets of user manuals. Telephone consulting over
the minimum will be billed at Assignor's then-current standard time and material
rates;
E. Maintenance Agreement must be renewed annually to maintain continuity
of corrections. If maintenance is allowed to lapse, the renewal, if desired by
Assignee, must be paid for the lapsed period forward.
9. Termination
A. Assignee may terminate this Agreement by providing written notice of
termination ____ days prior to the expiration of the initial one-year term or any
successive one-year period extension.
B. On termination of this Agreement, Assignee shall promptly return all
Assignor proprietary data, and shall erase from all computer storage and
computer storage devices any image or copies of the Software.
10. Default
A. Either party has the right to terminate this Agreement and any license
granted on written notice to the other party if such other party:
1. Materially fails to perform any of its obligations under this
Agreement, which failure has not been corrected within ____days
after receipt of written notice of the failure; or
2. Takes action to liquidate and dissolve, becomes insolvent, suffers
an appointment of a receiver, assigns all or part of its assets for the
benefit of creditors, or is involved in any proceeding (voluntary or
involuntary) under any bankruptcy or insolvency laws.
B. On any such termination by Assignor, Assignee agrees to return
immediately to Assignor all Software programs, related documentation, and all
copies of such programs and documentation in the possession of Assignee or
any of Assignee's agents or other parties to whom Assignee may have provided
such copies, in the form provided by Assignor or as modified by Assignee and to
make no further use of the Software.
C. On any such termination by Assignee, Assignee shall be granted a
perpetual, restricted license to the Software under the conditions and restrictions
stated in this Agreement without any further obligation to Assignor.
D. Any termination under this section shall not affect either party's ability to
pursue any other remedy existing at law or in equity for such default.
11. Technological Advances
A. Assignee agrees that Assignor shall have the right to free and
unencumbered use, sale, or license of any technological advancements
developed or acquired by Assignor in the performance of any services rendered
by Assignor to the Assignee in connection with this Agreement.
B. Assignor agrees that Assignee will have an unencumbered right to use
improvements made on the Software when fully paid by Assignee within the
Assignee's corporate structure. Charges for Assignor support of such
improvements, if any, will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.
12. Relationship of Parties
Each party is an independent contractor and not an agent or partner of, or joint
venturer with, the other party for any purpose, and neither party by virtue of this
Agreement shall have any right, power, or authority to act or create any obligation,
expressed or implied, on behalf of the other party.
13. Delays
Neither party shall be liable or deemed in default for any delay or failure in
performance of this Agreement resulting directly or indirectly from any cause
completely, solely, and exclusively beyond the control of that party.
14. Purchase Order
If Assignee issues a purchase order or other instrument covering the sale and
services specified in this Agreement, it is agreed that such document is for Assignee's
internal purposes only, shall in no way affect any of the provisions of this Agreement,
and may not, notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, be incorporated into this
Agreement by reference.
15. Severability
The invalidity of any portion of this Agreement will not and shall not be deemed to
affect the validity of any other provision. If any provision of this Agreement is held to be
invalid, the parties agree that the remaining provisions shall be deemed to be in full
force and effect as if they had been executed by both parties subsequent to the
expungement of the invalid provision.
16. No Waiver
The failure of either party to this Agreement to insist upon the performance of any
of the terms and conditions of this Agreement, or the waiver of any breach of any of the
terms and conditions of this Agreement, shall not be construed as subsequently waiving
any such terms and conditions, but the same shall continue and remain in full force and
effect as if no such forbearance or waiver had occurred.
17. Governing Law
This Agreement shall be governed by, construed, and enforced in accordance
with the laws of the State of __________.
18. Notices
Unless provided herein to the contrary, any notice provided for or concerning this
Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed sufficiently given when sent by
certified or registered mail if sent to the respective address of each party as set forth at
the beginning of this Agreement.
19. Attorney’s Fees
In the event that any lawsuit is filed in relation to this Agreement, the
unsuccessful party in the action shall pay to the successful party, in addition to all the
sums that either party may be called on to pay, a reasonable sum for the successful
party's attorney fees.
20. Mandatory Arbitration
Any dispute under this Agreement shall be required to be resolved by binding
arbitration of the parties hereto. If the parties cannot agree on an arbitrator, each party
shall select one arbitrator and both arbitrators shall then select a third. The third
arbitrator so selected shall arbitrate said dispute. The arbitration shall be governed by
the rules of the American Arbitration Association then in force and effect.
21. Entire Agreement
This Agreement shall constitute the entire agreement between the parties and
any prior understanding or representation of any kind preceding the date of this
Agreement shall not be binding upon either party except to the extent incorporated in
this Agreement.
22. Modification of Agreement
Any modification of this Agreement or additional obligation assumed by either
party in connection with this Agreement shall be binding only if placed in writing and
signed by each party or an authorized representative of each party.
23. Assignment of Rights
The rights of each party under this Agreement are personal to that party and may
not be assigned or transferred to any other person, firm, corporation, or other entity
without the prior, express, and written consent of the other party.
24. Counterparts
This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which
shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which together shall constitute but one and
the same instrument.
25. Compliance with Laws
In performing under this Agreement, all applicable governmental laws,
regulations, orders, and other rules of duly-constituted authority will be followed and
complied with in all respects by both parties.
26. In this Agreement, any reference to a party includes that party's heirs, executors,
administrators, successors and assigns, singular includes plural and masculine includes
feminine.
WITNESS our signatures as of the day and date first above stated.
_______________________ ____________________
(Name of Assignor) (Name of Assignee)
By:____________________________ By:_______________________________
(P rinted Name & Office in Corporation) (P rinted Name & Office in Corporation)
_________________________ ________________________
(Signature of Officer) (Signature of Officer)
Attach Exhibits