Software Licensing Strategy

Project Case Study

EverEdge IP assisted a New Zealand based multinational mobile services company on a software commercialisation project. EverEdge IP analysed the open source license and the laws surrounding open source software to advise on options and potential ramifications for the company. As a result the company is more confident in their Intellectual Property Position and is in a better position to execute any commercialisation strategies.

About Client

The client is a multinational mobile marketing and advertisement services provider with offices across the globe. They specialise in creating innovative software which help clients better market products over latest generation mobile networks. Their products and services ranges from mobile image recognition systems to advertisement tracking and monitoring packages.

The Business Problem

The client had developed a marketing campaign management system. Parts of the product utilised open source code, which posed risk to the product's intellectual property position and hence potentially limited available commercialisation routes and consequently returns on investment in the development of the product. Uncertain about how and the extent to which the open source code would affect the commercialisation of the product, the client needed more information.

EverEdge IP Solution

EverEdge IP conducted a thorough analysis of the open source license under which the open source code was distributed. Background analysis of the laws and regulations regarding open source code was conducted for the various jurisdictions where sizable markets existed for the client. Market dynamics and the approaches of the other companies to these issues, such as Google and Microsoft were also investigated. These studies enabled EverEdge IP to provide a full picture not just of the potential legal positions of the client but more critically the overall commercial implications of the use of the code. Strategies were developed for the client to minimise the risk and limitation of the open source code while maximising returns from the development.

The Result

The client has a comprehensive view of the benefits and risks of using the open source code and understand the strategies that need to be implemented to maximise commercial returns from their development.