Access Licenses

We have an access database that is used by an application. The question I
have is who owns the license to the Database and Data that it contains, The
Client or the 3rd Party who Developed the Application?

Ralph
Wed Oct 08 07:26:10 CDT 2008


"John" <John@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:A1EFAD48-A55F-4B6D-AEB6-1AB63F067D15@microsoft.com...
> We have an access database that is used by an application. The question I
> have is who owns the license to the Database and Data that it contains,
The
> Client or the 3rd Party who Developed the Application?

Microsoft ultimately owns the 'license' to the Jet engine and Jet format and
components. Developers are allowed to use them to develop applications.
Normally a client has some other 'licensing' arrangement with the developer
to use the software (anything from purchase, to some kind of renting), and
the data belongs to the client.

BUT there must be something else behind your question. What is it?

-ralph

John
Wed Oct 08 09:21:02 CDT 2008

It's just that I have a client who is using a 3rd Party Application with an
Access Database as the data Store. The 3rd Party says that they own the
Database and the Data Container theirin so I wanted to know what Microsoft's
view is on this.

"Ralph" wrote:

>
> "John" <John@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:A1EFAD48-A55F-4B6D-AEB6-1AB63F067D15@microsoft.com...
> > We have an access database that is used by an application. The question I
> > have is who owns the license to the Database and Data that it contains,
> The
> > Client or the 3rd Party who Developed the Application?
>
> Microsoft ultimately owns the 'license' to the Jet engine and Jet format and
> components. Developers are allowed to use them to develop applications.
> Normally a client has some other 'licensing' arrangement with the developer
> to use the software (anything from purchase, to some kind of renting), and
> the data belongs to the client.
>
> BUT there must be something else behind your question. What is it?
>
> -ralph
>
>
>

Dave
Wed Oct 08 09:32:01 CDT 2008

Hi, 2 questions here:

"Who owns the license to the Database?" - Microsoft or Nobody, the Access
database format is available for use free of charge, if you want to use
Access you'll need to have a legitimate copy but the database can be
utilized via any one of several free technologies (OBDC, DAO, ADO etc).

"Who owns the license to the Data that it contains", this depends, if you
supply the application with an empty database and the customer fills it with
his own data then it belongs to him. If however the database is supplied
already loaded with data, say look-up tables or similar then the data
belongs to the developer. If it's a bit of both, then it can become
'interesting'.
In reality this should be spelt out in the EULA, yes I know nobody ever
reads them but that is not the function of the EULA, it is there so several
years down the line you can say something like "here it is in black and
white, it's you not me who's in the wrong. Pay up"

If you tell us what you problem really is, you might get some better advice.

Dave O.

"John" <John@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:A1EFAD48-A55F-4B6D-AEB6-1AB63F067D15@microsoft.com...
> We have an access database that is used by an application. The question I
> have is who owns the license to the Database and Data that it contains,
> The
> Client or the 3rd Party who Developed the Application?

Jan
Wed Oct 08 09:54:45 CDT 2008

John <John@discussions.microsoft.com>'s wild thoughts were
released on Wed, 8 Oct 2008 07:21:02 -0700 bearing the
following fruit:

>It's just that I have a client who is using a 3rd Party Application with an
>Access Database as the data Store. The 3rd Party says that they own the
>Database and the Data Container theirin so I wanted to know what Microsoft's
>view is on this.

I can see that MS will have any view on this.

It's likely the client agreed to these terms when they chose
to use that 3rd pary application - check the terms of
licence the client has agreed to.





>"Ralph" wrote:
>
>>
>> "John" <John@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:A1EFAD48-A55F-4B6D-AEB6-1AB63F067D15@microsoft.com...
>> > We have an access database that is used by an application. The question I
>> > have is who owns the license to the Database and Data that it contains,
>> The
>> > Client or the 3rd Party who Developed the Application?
>>
>> Microsoft ultimately owns the 'license' to the Jet engine and Jet format and
>> components. Developers are allowed to use them to develop applications.
>> Normally a client has some other 'licensing' arrangement with the developer
>> to use the software (anything from purchase, to some kind of renting), and
>> the data belongs to the client.
>>
>> BUT there must be something else behind your question. What is it?
>>
>> -ralph
>>
>>
>>

--
Jan Hyde (VB MVP)

https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/Jan.Hyde