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The inability to expand licensing agreements or procure older versions of software forces a
COTS application into a state of logistical obsolescence. If at least one license of the software is
purchased, the user is granted legal rights to use the software within the terms of the
agreement (which may last forever or for a specified time frame). Once developed and sold,
software easily replicates and installs on as many systems as stated in the licensing agreement.
Because software is intellectual property, only legal constraints or embedded licensing keys in
the software program bind its use by the number of authorized licenses. Many licensing
agreements allow repeated installations and multiple users, however with a constrained
licensing agreement on legacy software, and an inflexible vendor refusing to sell additional
licenses to use older versions of their intellectual property, the COTS software may be
considered legally “unprocurable”. Software License downgrades may help to manage the
logistical obsolescence problem, whereas combating functional and technological
obsolescence require more complex methods for proper risk management and mitigation. This
paper discusses downgrading and other specific methods later.