The Basics of Embedded Software Licensing

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2024-10-09 18:30:06

These days, embedded systems can be found everywhere: in appliances, most modern modes of transportation, even lifesaving medical devices. There is software embedded in everything from toys and smartphones to airplanes. In a matter of just a few decades, software with embedded system licensing has been integrated into every aspect of our daily life.

Often embedded software is responsible for a product's most essential, defining functions. For example, embedded software is what allows a smartwatch to track your heart rate and use your GPS location. As embedded software becomes more common, embedded software creators must know how to best manage and protect their products with embedded software licensing.

Embedded software is the combination of software and hardware into a single package by manufacturers. It's computer software created specifically for machines that we don't usually think of as computers, but that do use software to function. For example, both the core function of a pacemaker and the security measures that keep the medical information private are products of the pacemaker's embedded software. How your embedded licensing and management is set up can affect the experience of your users, almost as much as the product itself.

So what is embedded licensing? Embedded software licensing defines the legal restrictions under which consumers use your product. Embedded software licensing models can be divided into two categories: proprietary and open-source. Within open-source, the four types of software licenses are permissive, public domain, LGPL, and copyleft. Each of these licenses comes with unique freedoms and regulations, even for embedded licensing. Open-source licenses allow you to reuse code to some degree, as long as you comply with the corresponding publishing obligations. Open-source is at the most permissive end of the spectrum, with proprietary licenses at the other end. Unlike open-source, software with proprietary embedded licensing cannot be changed or distributed without express permission from the software owner in the embedded software license agreement.