Lesson 15:
Copyright issues
By MaryAnn Avelar-Flores
Copyright issues on
software.
The following of some
copyright issued which I have found in some of the readings and links in Lesson
15 which I found useful:
The software Act of 1980
made programs copyrightable as long as there was even a minimal amount of
creativity. As a matter of fact, a
program is copyrightable if it is stored in the computer’s memory rather than
on paper.
Copyright law protects the
words, images, sounds that an author uses to express idea. The idea of a word processor, database, and
spreadsheet cannot be copyrighted, that is why there are many different word
processors, databases, and spreadsheets on the market. However, the courts have found the following
elements to be copyrightable expression of ideas:
Copyright is the right to prohibit
other people from making copies. The
Software Act allows the person who purchases a software product to make a
backup copy, as long as it is for archival purposes only. The archive copy cannot be given to another
person for his or her use. Only the
original and backup can be given away, sold, lent, or rented to others as long
as the original purchaser does not retain a copy. Although the copyright owner has the exclusive right to
distribute copies of the software, that right only applies to the first sale of
any particular copy.
Any program that comes into
existence in a tangible method (source and object code, flowchart, stored on a
disk , and so on) are copyright protected.
Programs do not have to be registered to be copyright protected. The reason that programs are registered is
for the protection before infringement takes place. The court can award up to $100,000 per infringed work, called
statutory damages, and impose other actions to stop the illegal copyright
activities.