Software escrow refers to the deposit of the software's source code into an account held by a third party escrow agent. Escrow is typically requested by the party licensing the software (the "licensee"), to ensure maintenance of the software. The software source code is released to the licensee if the licensor files for bankruptcy or otherwise fails to maintain and update the software as promised in the software license agreement.
 

Related terms: escrow services, source code escrow, third party software escrow