Copyright and the Law
Angela Clark
(material from Grauer Exploring Office 2003 text lab activity)
Definition
A copyright provides legal protection to a
written or an artistic work
Protected work may include: poetry, novels,
movies, songs, and software
A copyright does not protect facts, ideas, or
systems
It may protect how these items are expressed
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Exclusive Rights
A copyright gives its author exclusive rights to
the use and duplication of a work for a
designated time
The author may sell and/or give up a portion
of that right
Give distribution rights to a publisher
Grant movie rights to a studio
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Conveying Limited Rights
Software developers convey limited rights to
the software through:
End User License Agreement (EULA) grants full
use to the software on one computer but prohibits
the purchaser from copying, modifying, or selling
the software
Site License permits an organization to run
multiple copies of the software concurrently
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Copyright Infringement
Occurs when a copyright is violated without
permission of the owner
Unauthorized duplication or use of software
Unauthorized downloading and/or duplication of
songs and movies
The law imposes stiff penalties for copyright
infringement
Your school or university may impose
additional penalties
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Software Piracy
Poses a unique problem because of the ease
with which it is done
Illegal duplication of software results in:
Higher prices for legitimate licenses
Reduced levels of support
Delays in development of new versions
It’s not OK to borrow your friend’s Office CD
for installation on your computer
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Using Copyrighted Material
The owner of a copyright may place the work
in the public domain, in which case the
author is giving everyone the right to freely
reproduce and distribute material
The “fair use exclusion” to the copyright
law allows one to use a portion of a written or
artistic work for the following purposes:
Education
Non-profit
Critical review and commentary
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Credit Your Sources
Use Microsoft Word to cite your references
Pull down the Insert menu
Click the Reference command
Select Footnote
Click Insert and enter text
Numbered footnotes are placed at the bottom
of each page throughout the document
Footnotes are automatically adjusted for
subsequent insertions or deletions
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Important!!!
Individualswho violate copyright
law and/or software licensing
agreements may be subject to
criminal or civil action by the
copyright or license owners. This
means you!
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For Additional Information
The United States Copyright Web site at
www.loc.gov/copyright/
The Business Software Alliance at
www.bsa.org
The Copyright Web site at www.benedict.com
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Questions
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