IT & Software Agreements
These IT and software agreements are simple to use, effective, and professionally drafted.
Software plays a key role in business and the legal document templates in this group will assist your business in both the acquisition and creation of software in a variety of forms ranging from online software from ASPs to documentation supporting key stages of the software development process.
Using these software agreement templates, whether your business is procuring software or producing it, the process can be greatly simplified for all parties concerned.
Please click on the links below to view details of the available documents.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Will these templates work whether I am supplying the software or buying it?
Yes. The range covers both sides: acquiring software, for example ASP or hosted access, licences and databases, and producing it, through development, testing and open source. Many templates also come in supplier-leaning and customer-leaning variants so you can start from the position that suits your role. Pick by whether you are the provider or the customer, then by the type of software arrangement.
Is software sold or licensed, and why does it matter?
Software is almost always licensed, not sold. You grant permission to use it on set terms rather than transferring ownership. That matters because the licence controls what the user can and cannot do, and it protects the developer's intellectual property. Copyright in software is protected under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, so a clear licence is how a developer limits copying, modification and redistribution while still earning from the product.
Who owns software or content a developer creates for my business?
By default the developer, as creator, owns the copyright in commissioned software, not the business that paid for it, unless it is assigned in writing and signed. Without an assignment you usually get only a licence to use it. If your business needs to own the code, the development agreement must assign the intellectual property in writing. Employees are different: work by an employee in the course of employment belongs to the employer.
If my IT or software handles personal data, what do I need in the contract?
Where one party processes personal data on the other's behalf, UK GDPR Article 28 requires a written contract with specific processor terms covering instructions, confidentiality, security, sub-processors, data subject rights and deletion or return at the end. Many agreements here include optional data processing wording, and the data protection policies in this group help you meet the wider UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 duties. Switch the data terms on whenever personal data is involved.
Do I need policies as well as agreements, for things like data protection or AI use?
Often yes. Agreements govern deals with other parties; policies govern how your own business and staff behave. This group includes both: contracts for software and IT services, plus policies for data protection, IT security, disaster recovery, cyber incident response and generative AI use. Policies are largely best practice rather than a single legal requirement, but they help you show accountability under the UK GDPR and manage real operational risk.