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Deutsche Post DHL Lawyer Advocates for Basic-language Software Licenses

By Casey Houser, Contributing Writer

Deutsche Post DHL, the global shipping company synonymous with the red and yellow box vans and shipping containers, has a global base of approximately 480,000 employees. This means that it can afford to throw its weight around a bit. However, in the world of licensing, company executives still say they want to keep things simple and shy away from convoluted legal jargon.

Analysis of the issue comes from a recent write-up at Computer Weekly that speaks about the complexity of software licensing. The tech news organization spoke to Kamal Patheja, an IT lawyer who has been working at DHL for about 14 years. She points to the need to keep contracts simple for the benefit of DHL and the companies with which they work.

"There is no point having a document with convoluted terminology that nobody understands,” Patheja said. "Keep it really simple. I go for plain English and words of one syllable. A software contract should reflect what the business needs."

It is clear language, she says, that can hinder company operations and force software to function in ways that neither the creator nor the receiving party intended. That can lead not only to mismanagement but also to strained relationships. Yet, Patheja indicates, it is a definite part of the business landscape, and businesses that sign software agreements should keep their eyes open for confusing language or contract terms they do not understand.

It was at the Gartner (News - Alert) IT Financial, Procurement & Asset Management Summit that took place early this September in London that Patheja and her colleague, Cathy Hamilton, the head of IT license demand at Deutsche Post DHL, showed a presentation to attendees that stressed making sure that company's best interests are reflected in the language of licenses. Patheja said that companies are getting smarter about how they review contracts, and they are reportedly taking exactly the steps she says will save them hassles in the long run: they are looking out for their own interests.

"As an organization we need to know what we should be doing and what we shouldn't be doing," Patheja said. "We need to ensure the wording of the contract does not inadvertently limit the use of the software for its intended use."

TMC (News - Alert) has pointed to Gartner's own view on the topic. The research and advisory firm has said that it believes companies can get stuck with complicated situations where product names and stock-keeping units change, and as a result, those changes affect the nature of their contracts. Whether those changes are intentional or not, this has forced some companies to adopt the use of software license optimization tools that can deal with changes more easily than manual processes ever could.

While not trying to stress that software licensing management tools are not important, Patheja says that companies can avoid the hassles listed above by setting clear terms that show what companies can and cannot do within the scopes of their license terms. Specifically concerning audits, Patheja says DHL tries to lay out the auditing process within contracts so DHL and its clients know what they are getting themselves into. She says creating a "fair and equitable contract" makes future endeavors easier for everyone involved. The less time companies spend slogging through the mud, the more time they can spend getting back to operating and improving their businesses overall.