5.2.3 IP Protection

intellectual property: a unique creative product of the human mind such as a piece of software or a computer game. created by someone and has commercial value.

means that no one can use the creator’s unique work without permission and may have to pay a fee - only the creator has the right to make copies or perform it in public denoted by © symbol

protects the expression of an idea, not the idea itself: - if you were to develop an original piece of software, its source code would be protected, but someone could just copy the idea and write a program that essentially performs the same task. you would then have to prove that the similarities are more than coincidence and are a result of copying

protects the idea/design of an invention, not just a particular expression of it. - greater protection than copyright in order to get one, you have to demonstrate that your invention is distinct from anything else that already exists. a patent holder has the exclusive right for 20 years to make/use/sell their invention.

a type of IP consisting of a recognisable sign/design/expression which identifies products or services of a particular source. once a trademark has been registered, an organisation can prevent competitors from using same/similar trademarks - legal action can be taken in case of infringement (in the country where the trademark is registered) ® is symbol for registered trademark ™ is symbol for unregistered trademark (does not guarantee legal protection)

every piece of software (even free ones) have a licence - the licence state that the software subject does not actually own the software you have to agree to terms of licence before you can install the software: - how many copies you are allowed to use - whether you can install it on more than one computer - what type of organisation can use the software (charities/learners/home users) - how long the software can be used for

available on the internet allows anyone to use/study/modify/distribute the code and pass it on to others (as long as they don’t charge a fee) • may need some specialist knowledge to install, may have a less well-designed and user-friendly interface

closed source - source code is protected - users are not allowed to modify it - extensively tested prior to release - bugs are quickly fixed, plenty of user support

type of open source licence that stipulates that anyone who releases a modified open source program must also release the source code along side it • constant upgrades + free help & support