Nowicka, Aurelia2016-12-042016-12-041990Ruch Prawniczy, Ekonomiczny i Socjologiczny, 52, 1990, z. 3-4, s. 33-520035-9629http://hdl.handle.net/10593/16235The article discusses the contracts for the use of computer programmes. The author presents basic forms of contracts and typical elements of their contents. The ba is of her presentation are the legal systems of the USA, Great Britain and the Federal Republic of Germany. In the first part of her article, the author presents the object and types of contracts (custom software contracts, package software contracts, mass marketed software contracts, especially shrink-wrap agreements). A basic contractual form of offering software is licence agreement. The author pays special attention to form contracts developed by the As ociation of Data Processing Service Organization. In the second part of her article the author discursses the legal status of computer programmes. In recent years, a prevailing form of legal protection is copyright law, accompanied by patent law and know-how protection within the trade secret law. The author also pre ents the position of Polish legal doctrine on the protection of computer programmes and analyses the premises of the draft of the Poli h copyright law, which is to include computer programmes under its protection. The third part of the article contains the analysis of typical elements of the contracts for the use of computer programmes (the scope of the licence, the character of the licence, intellectual property rights, licencee's rights to copying, alterations, the access to source code, the use of improved programmes, protection of secrecy, licence fees, legal and technical guarantees for the licensor, liability and the causes and consequences of expiration of a contract). Special attention is paid to the stipulations which may be of restrictive character for the buyer, limiting his or her rights to use the programme (e.g. no access to source code, the interdiction to make copies, especially back-up copies, the interdiction to do reverse engineering, etc.). Next, the author analyses a special form of distribution of mass marketed software (shrink-wrap licence). The admissibility of such contracts has recently been questioned, for they limit excessively the rights of the buyer protected by copyright law and they are an example of an abuse of economic power by the seller. The last part of the article contains the remarks on the possibilities of applying foreign solutions in Polish software trade (domestic and international). In this context the author points to the need of seeking the solutions which could best protect the interests of Polish software importers.polinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessArtykuł