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Any time money changes hands in software development, a contract is being formed. Writing that contract out gets everyone on the same page and gives them a chance to consider possible outcomes that might not otherwise have occurred to them. With luck, the people involve might even resolve disputes before anyone has made a significant investment of blood, toil, tears, and sweat.

This sample contract is not intended to be a substitute for competent legal representation or a detailed investigation of issues relevant to a particular development engagement. It is meant, instead, to serve as an introduction to issues common to contracts for mobile development, and as a starting place for drafting a (relatively) friendly agreement for a small development project. The associated presentation explains the contract in some depth and explores some issues particular to mobile development.

Obviously, there’s no substitute for a contract which was drafted by an attorney specifically for an engagement, and reviewed exhaustively by the other side’s attorney. But if neither side can justify paying for such legal services, contract templates such as these are likely to be better than nothing. This contract is drafted to be generally fair to both sides, allowing the developer to retain rights to a reusable software library developed for the purposes of the engagement, as well as any patentable technology which may be invented.

Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments!

Presentation: IPServices-Contracts.pdf
Contract Template: softwareAgreement-Template.doc