School of Engineering and Applied Science Department of Computer Science CSci 1030 -- Technology and Society http://www.seas.gwu.edu/~mfeldman/csci1030/summer13 Prof. Michael B. Feldman, course instructor mfeldman@gwu.edu

Week 6: Software as Intellectual Property

Readings:

Software as Intellectual Property
Baase, chapt. 4, Spinello, chapt. 4

Notes on Software as Intellectual Property

Sample Software License 1
Sample Software License 2


****FINAL PROJECT REPORTS DUE*****

Learning Activities:

WORK ON YOUR final project reports this week!

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: Discussion

1. The policy of the Software and Information Industry Association (formerly called Software Publishers Association) is to turn everyone into bounty hunters for software piracy. They have an 800 phone number that people can call to turn in companies or people who have pirated software. They then send in U.S. Marshals with computer experts who check all of the hard disks of the computers for pirated software. If any pirated software is found, the person or company has to pay a fine. These fines are used to support the work of the SIIA, which is to educate people about software piracy and to catch software pirates. Discuss the pros and cons of what the SIIA does.

2. Look up (online) the concept of a "patent troll". Discuss the issue, especially as it relates to software. Do you think it's a problem? (How) should the American and international legal systems respond?

3. Re-read those sample software licenses and discuss them from the intellectual property viewpoint.

4. Look up (on the web) and discuss an interesting recent software-as-intellectual-property case.

FINDINGS FROM YOUR SURVEY: Discussion****FINAL PROJECT REPORTS DUE*****