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 |
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*****
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*****