Is Used Software Legal? What Italian Businesses Should Know

Every business today needs software, yet new licenses may be extremely expensive. Pre-used software is being considered as a cheap option by many Italian firms. Nevertheless, there are also some doubts concerning the validity of the used software license and what companies should be aware before acquiring such software. This paper has discussed the legal picture of second hand software in Italy and why purchasing second hand licenses may be a wise risk free decision to businesses.

Legal Limitations on Used Software in Italy and Europe

Software is safeguarded in Italy through Copyright Law, which ensures the protection of the rights of the creators of their work. This legislation implies that software is considered as any other intellectual property, and copying or any other unauthorized usage is considered to be illegal. Nonetheless, software license resale is another issue.

On July 3, 2012 (Case C-128/11) the European Court of Justice (ECJ) issued a landmark ruling directly affecting the resale of used software. The court ruled that software licenses are legally resellable in the countries of the European Union, including Italy, even in cases when the initial agreement with the licensor does not allow its resale. This ruling is relevant to both hardcopy software (on discs) and softwares that have been downloaded to the computer digitally.

This decision rests on the so-called principle of exhaustion, for example, when a software license has been sold once, the right holder is not able to prohibit its resale. This also covers the use of digital licenses that are currently adopted by many businesses including Microsoft volume license and development tools. The ECJ decision bridged a critical gap in the law, as businesses now will have all the confidence to purchase and sell used software without infringing on copyrights.

What the Italian Businesses Need to Know About the Used Software Licensing

The purchase of used software license is a big saving–in some cases even 75% cheaper than the purchase of new software licenses. Used licenses help businesses save on money and still have access to quality software such as operating system, office applications, server program among others.

A retailer such as Wiresoft is a specialized retailer that deals with the sale of Microsoft software licenses in Italy and other countries legally. Wiresoft carefully verifies that every license is in accordance with the law and assists in the safe transfer of ownership so that the businesses will be provided with the genuine, unlimited, and permanent licenses.

Italian businesses should make sure that the used software licenses have an evidence of valid transfer and full rights of use. The collaboration with reputable sellers is a guarantee of the adherence to the Italian and EU laws and has no risks of fake or unlicensed software.

Advantages of Purchasing Used Software Under Legal Means

There are a number of benefits of purchasing second hand software through legitimate vendors:

Cost Savings: License used is well less expensive than new licenses and thus upgrades on a software program can be done at a low cost.

Legal Security: Compliant resale implies that your business will use the software without taking any risks of being fined or sued.

Environmental Impact: Re-use of software licenses helps in the sustainability of the environment by lessening the production of physical or digital products.

Affordability to High-Quality Software: Companies can spend more on the best software products such as Microsoft Windows Server or tools to develop their own and achieve more without having to spend a lot.

Conclusion

Second-hand software is absolutely legal and a good alternative to Italian companies seeking to maximize IT spending without jeopardising their legal standards or software quality. The right to resell used software license has been categorically put in place by the European Court of Justice ruling and businesses such as Wiresoft have made the process secure and easy. Using dependable suppliers who guarantee the authenticity and transfer of the license, companies in Italy can be assured to use the used software to satisfy their needs in the business at a cost, which is affordable and secure.