ABSTRACT
Some international development organizations (IDOs), such as the World Bank, produce and own computer software for which they retain the copyright. Such software was developed for internal use or for projects sponsored in developing countries. These IDOs are faced with two contradictory concerns. On the one hand, they feel responsible for the integrity of the software. On the other hand, they do not want this responsibility to become so burdensome that it interferes with their primary missions. This chapter proposes predistribution tasks to fulfill the responsibilities of an IDO concerned with distributing its software: testing the software; pricing the software for distribution; establishing a copying policy; and providing a limited warranty for initial use. IDOs may offer maintenance services if the services contribute to, or at least do not significantly detract from, their missions. Private companies may also service the software, either under contract to the IDO or independently.
