소프트웨어 라이선스 계약에 대한 민사법 접근 -스트리밍소프트웨어를 중심으로-

In order to run a computer, software or several programs are necessary. Relatively the software history in technology world is short as computer systems’ is. When we look at this issue in legal perspective, its history becomes much shorter. Network, especially the Internet has changed people's life. Traditionally the concept, “1 pc and 1 program” has been used. However, the development of network has modified the software environment as well. Thus this author deals with software license issues in this Article. In most of cases, legally software is not sold, but just licensed between parties. Accordingly a licensor and a licensee make an agreement concerning their legal relationship of permitting and of using a copy or copies of software. In this respect, a software license is made based on private-autonomy or freedom of contract. Yet, considering how a software license is concluded in a real world, regulations between licensors and licensees are necessary to make their legal relations advisable. Concretely speaking, these are software licensee contract processes, and terms & conditions of licensee contracts. Additionally network development has raised a new question: distribution of a copy of software through network. Thus can a software copyright holder or licensor ask a licensee to stop his or her distribution of a copy or copies of software through network? Regarding this issue, can a software licensee defense using abuse of rights against licensor? These are main issues of this Article. This author explains software and various network technologies in Ⅱ. And then this author deals with principle of private-autonomy or freedom of contract, concerning software licensee agreements in Ⅲ. In addition, this author looks at whether a software copyright holder or licensor can ask a licensee to prevent him or her from distributing a copy or copies of software through network. Also this author examines whether a software licensee can make a defense using abuse of rights against licensor. Finally this author suggests how a software licence would be dealt with in a public policy perspective in Ⅴ.