The Failure of Software Copyright Law
A Definition
With the Copyright Act of 1980, the following was added
to the existing copyright laws:
A "computer program" is a set of statements
or instructions to be used directly or indirectly
in a computer in order to bring about a certain
result.1
A "program" or "software" instructs the "hardware," the
computer, in its task of adding, storing, exchanging data,
etc.2 At the base level, a program is simply a mathematical
algorithm, a stream of on/off states, which the hardware
uses.
Copyright and patent law has generally excluded
mathematical algorithms from legal protection due to the
social benefits of their widespread dissemination.3
Software, however, is primarily protected by copyright law
under the premise that an author is entitled to the
financial incentive. The debate is this: "Is there a way
to protect innovators without strangling further
innovation?"4
The Harms of Protection
Early makers of computers handed out free accompanying
software particular to their machines.5 Their thought was
that this would encourage the purchase of their hardware.
Soon, however, software producers began to copyright their
products and the result was that each computer-maker had
incompatible software.6 A company with sufficient lead-time
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58 West's 3d, 10.4.
59 West's Feb. '90, 308.
60 ibid., 422.
61 Menell, 1084.
62 Menell, 1088.
63 Menell, 1087.
64 Menell, 1082.
65 Menell, 1088.
66 Weigner, 137.
67 Menell, 1078.
68 Barinaga, Marcia, "Computer microcode instructions
judged within copyright," Nature 16 February 1989: 591.
69 Business Week, 122.
70 Menell, 1060.
71 Hammonds, 86.
Over the past decade the societal view of creative society has greatly changed due to advances in computer technology and the Internet. In 1995, aware of the beginning of this change, two authors wrote articles in Wired Magazine expressing diametrically opposed views on how this technological change would take form, and how it would affect copyright law. In the article "The Emperor's Clothes Still Fit Just Fine" Lance Rose hypothesized that the criminal nature of copyright infringement would prevent it from developing into a socially acceptable practice. Thus, he wrote, we would not need to revise copyright law to prevent copyright infringement. In another article, Entitled "Intellectual Value", Esther Dyson presented a completely different view of the copyright issue. She based many her arguments on the belief that mainstream copyright infringement would proliferate in the following years, causing a radical revision of American ideas and laws towards intellectual property. What has happened since then? Who was right? This paper analyzes the situation then and now, with the knowledge that these trends are still in a state of transformation. As new software and hardware innovations make it easier to create, copy, alter, and disseminate original digital content, this discussion will be come even more critical.
The box jellyfish Tripedalia cystophora is a small jellyfish that can be at least 1cm long. Its bell is shaped somewhat like a square, which give it the name “box” jellyfish. Each of the four bottom corners of the bell have three tentacles. Even though it is in the same family as the sea wasp, T. cystophora is harmless. This jellyfish has been observed living in mangrove swamps where it stays in the light near the surface and feeds on copepods like Dioithona oculata. T. cystophora is diurnal, so it is actively feeding and moving about during the day, and at night, it rests on the muddy floor of the mangrove swamps.
Janssen, C. (2014, April 14). What is the Heartbleed Bug? - Definition from Techopedia. Techopedia. Retrieved April 28, 2014, from http://www.techopedia.com/definition/30173/heartbleed-bug (Used as an alternative for a reference book)
autions to secure the software from being pirated. But it also means that there might be more problems, even inside the software’s code. So that gives the challenge to the programmer to construct a software that is the best that it can be. Conclusion Software piracy is not as bad as the companies want to appear it. They just want to gain as much money they can get without really care about the consumers.
If Haydn had patented "a symphony, characterized by that sound is produced [ in extended sonata form ]", Mozart would have been in trouble. Patent - a writing securing to an inventor for a term of years the exclusive right to make, use, or sell an invention; or it may be the monopoly or right so granted[i].
A Worldwide Problem Software piracy is defined as the illegal copying of software for commercial or personal gain. Software companies have tried many methods to prevent piracy, with varying degrees of success. Several agencies like the Software Publishers Association and the Business Software Alliance have been formed to combat both worldwide and domestic piracy. Software piracy is an unresolved, worldwide problem, costing millions of dollars in lost revenue. Software companies have used many different copy protection schemes. The most annoying form of copy protection is the use of a key disk. This type of copy protection requires the user to insert the original disk every time the program is run. It can be quite difficult to keep up with disks that are years old. The most common technique of copy protection requires the user to look up a word or phrase in the program's manual. This method is less annoying than other forms of copy protection, but it can be a nuisance having to locate the manual every time. Software pirates usually have no trouble "cracking" the program, which permanently removes the copy protection. After the invention of CD-ROM, which until lately was uncopyable, most software companies stopped placing copy protection in their programs. Instead, the companies are trying new methods of disc impression. 3M recently developed a new technology of disc impression which allows companies to imprint an image on the read side of a CD-ROM. This technology would not prevent pirates from copying the CD, but it would make a "bootleg" copy differ from the original and make the copy traceable by law enforcement officials (Estes 89). Sometimes, when a person uses a pirated program, there is a "virus" attached to the program. Viruses are self-replicating programs that, when activated, can damage a computer. These viruses are most commonly found on pirated computer games, placed there by some malignant computer programmer. In his January 1993 article, Chris O' Malley points out that if piracy was wiped out viruses would eventually disappear (O' Malley 60). There are ways that a thrifty consumer can save money on software without resorting to piracy. Computer companies often offer discounts on new software if a person has previously purchased an earlier version of the software. Competition between companies also drives prices low and keeps the number of pirated copies down (Morgan 45). People eventually tire or outgrow their software and decide to sell it.
Copyright, in its first form, was first introduced in 1710 with a British statute of Anne. Since this time copyright laws have changed to remain current, and have grown into an international agreement by many countries around the globe.
Fairy tales are one of many ways to teach young children how to behave when they grow up. It teaches them to follow their dreams and express themselves. Fairy tales affect children's developing brains in the strangest ways. They inspire children to be and act like heroes. The options are endless. Children can be anything they want to be. Little girls can be beautiful princesses and little boys can be fearless princes. Imaginations run wild. The entire world is in their hands. But as they run away with their imaginations of magnificent lions and legendary wizards, their innocence diminishes because of the brutality displayed. The reality is that fairy tales aren't as sweet as we think they are. For this reason, parents are doubtful about reading fairy tales to their children. As society shift towards a era of fairy tales...
Cyber attacks are becoming more and more popular lately as they are cheap, convenient and less risky than physical attacks. All it takes is a computer, internet connection, and time. These “Cybercrooks” are hard to find seeing as they can be anywhere in the world and the anonymity of the Internet makes them unreachable. Vulnerable components in IT Infrastructure are the software, hardware, and network. In order for any type of malware to work it needs to get through all these walls (Jang-Jaccard).
I am writing this paper because I was assigned to write it as a class project. Along the way I realized the importance of sharing the real meanings of all these stories. Stories are important because in the society we live in things are constantly changing. Fairytales change but the base of the story always remain the same no matter how many times it has been retold. It’s important to reveal the true meanings of these stories, even with its dark characteristics, because the world is dark .Children need to know that there are people that have told stories relatable to what they are going through. Fairytales help the development of children; it helps their maturity as they confront someone else’s tough situations, instilling hope of a more positive ou...
Hansjorg, Hohr, (2000). Dynamic Aspects of Fairy Tales: social and emotional competence through fairy tales. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, Vol 44, No 1, Department of Education, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
“Dwarfism” is a term used to describe the condition of those whose bodies are significantly smaller than the average person’s.A dwarf may suffer from medical problems, which can lead to many deformities and complications throughout life.The deformities of some dwarfs, according to the Little People’s Research Fund website, can lead to extensive disabilities, paralysis, and even death.Over one and a half million people in the United States suffer from some condition of dwarfism (Billy Barty).What many do not know, however, is that most dwarfs are born to families that have no history of dwarfism in their families.
Having a hero who has to face challenges and conquer evil and a wicked villain, helps a child to educate himself and understand how to cope with real life situations that they will come across in their own lives, because every character in the fairytales is the child. To stimulate morals in children it is important that they have stories narrated to them, in order to make them aware of the consequences of their actions, such as
With the emergence and growth of the internet, intellectual property laws are much harder to enforce and many people are saying that they are outdated and obsolete. Intellectual property allows you to own your ideas, thoughts, and creativity as you would own a piece of tangible property. The human mind is a creative tool that comes up with ideas, designs, schemes, and inspirations of all kinds. Intellectual property views these ideas as being property. The ideas must also have commercial value and be a tradable commodity otherwise there would be no point to protect it. Intellectual property is basically the ownership of ideas. If one were to write a novel, for which the idea was conceived in there mind, they could copyright that novel so that no other person could steal that idea and write another novel on it. Copyright is a type of intellectual property. The main types of intellectual property are patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and copyrights. There are many issues arising about copyright and intellectual property due to the technological advances in the past ten years or so.
Normally, when one was a child, our parents would tell us fairy tales as bed time stories, or to simply entertain us. This is a worldwide tradition in which every parent tells their child the stories they were told when they were little, or new stories. There are infinite stories to be told as well as infinite stories that have already been written or told. The stories told by our parents have influenced us and still influence us in our beliefs and values today. Throughout our childhood, we have been told many stories that teach us to be brave and courageous, respect others, love ourselves and others, to obey orders, and even to help and