Copyright (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE ICT)

Copyright

What is copyright?

• Copyright is covered under a law called the Copyright Designs & Patents Act

• This protects the intellectual property of an individual or a company

• It makes it illegal to copy, modify or distribute software or other intellectual property without the relevant permission

• If original work is original, copyright will be automatically applied and will not expire until 25 - 70 years from the death of the creator depending on the type of work

• If an individual believes that their work has been copied it is their responsibility to take action under the Copyright Designs and Patents Act

• Many sites online offer free downloads of copyrighted software/videos which prevents the intellectual copyright holder from earning their income on the work they have created

  • E.g. If someone downloaded videos from Netflix and shared them with others, they would be breaching the act

• The act covers videos and audio where peer-to-peer streaming prevents a copyright owner from receiving an income

What is prohibited under the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act?

Primary breaches:

• Copying an original work

• Issuing a copy of the original work to the public

• Renting/lending a copy of the original work to the public

• Performing, showing or playing the original work in public

• Making an adaptation of the original work

Secondary breaches:

• Importing a copy of the original work

• Possessing or dealing with a copy of the original work

• Providing means to make copies of the original work

• Permitting the use of premises for making copies of the original work

• Provision of props/equipment for a performance of a copy of the original work

Software piracy

• Software piracy is the illegal copying and distribution of software

• Companies often take a lot of steps to prevent software piracy, some of these methods include:

  • Product key / license: Often a unique string or letters and numbers supplied with the software to activate it

  • Agreement of terms and conditions: Users will be asked to click to agree to the license agreement before being able to install the software

  • Holograms: Holograms are often used on the packaging of software and they indicate that the copy is genuine as they are too difficult and costly for pirates to implement

  • Some older software would only run if the CD ROM or memory stick was physically in the device using it