Top-5 Concerns When Incorporating Third Party Software Into Your Software Product

This article is reprinted with permission from the October 2005 issue of TEQ Magazine.

Although much has been written about the issues arising when incorporating open-source software into a company's software product, little attention is paid to common pitfalls or areas of concern when incorporating non-open-source third party software into a company's software product.

Companies frequently incorporate third party software into their software product, rather than re-inventing the wheel, to improve and/or add functionality. However, when they incorporate the third party software, they must pay careful attention to the obligations owed to those third party software providers pursuant to the third party software license.