The software publishing industry is comprised of companies that design, develop and publish computer software. Some companies are positioned between the developer and the distributor, and other companies combine two or all three of these roles. One of the primary roles of a software publisher is to disseminate licenses to customers for the right to execute software on their own computers. Licenses often have specific limitations, such as a time limit or geographical region for a royalty consideration. The terms of licensing vary enormously and are typically secret.