Software M&A: What you need to know before buying or selling software assets

In today’s fast-paced technology-driven world, companies are turning to a multi-source development environment that combines internal, commercial, outsourced and FOSS (free and open source software) code. However, when using so many sources, the uncertainty and risk associated with software intellectual property (IP) significantly increases. Deals have been lost and/or delayed, assets de-valued, and revenue lost. As a result, conducting legal and technical due diligence to identify IP ownership and code origins has become a required practice.

The webinar hosted by Black Duck Software on 15th September 2011, covered the legal and technical aspects that need to be addressed during M&A. The webinar panel included:

• Paul Garland, head of technology law firm Kemp Little’s IP group, discussed the best ways to identify and analyse key intellectual capital


• Charles Claisse, Corporate Partner at Kemp Little, discussed how to make the M&A process as smooth as possible, best ways to protect the value of the target company for the buyer and the various due diligence issues all buyers look for


• Gerald Tombs, owner of Clearvision, an authorised reseller for Black Duck in the UK, talks about how technology can accelerate technical due diligence proceedings and add a level of precision and insight that safeguards M&A deals

View a recording of the webinar here.