The Software Copyright Act, better known as the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act, has given software developers more power to protect their
works. If you've bought software in the last few years I'm sure you've
noticed some of the changes in the software buying process.
Some of the more noteworthy achievements of this Act are the following:
1) It is now a crime to break any anti-piracy measures in the software.
2) It is no longer legal to make, sale, or give away software or devices
that were invented for the purpose of cracking codes enabling the
illegal copying of software.
3) Limits the liability that ISPs (as far as copyright infringement violations) when information is transmitted online.
Most people don�t want to pirate software. Most of us by nature want to
do the right thing. The problem lies in educating people that it is
stealing when you bootleg, pirate, illegally download, or acquire copies
of software that you didn't pay for. It's one of those �white lie�
types of crimes for most people, and they don't see how it will hurt
anyone to copy a game from a brother, cousin, uncle, or friend. Someone
paid for it, after all. The problem is if 10 million people are
duplicating software at $50 or more per copy, the loss of software
royalties and profits are staggering. The Software Copyright Act seeks
to protect businesses from losing money this way and curtail illegal
downloading of copyrighted music and software.
A Software Copyright Statement Protects Current and Future Works
If you have a site dedicated to sharing and distributing open source
software, it is a wise decision to have a software copyright statement
that explains the limits of use for your software, as well as the limits
of your responsibility for those who use your software. I also
recommend getting an attorney to look over the statement before posting
it just to be sure there are no legal issues that you may be unaware of.
A software copyright statement doesn't have to be a 10 page booklet on
the law or the protections that copyright offers; it should be a simple
short paragraph stating the basics and protecting you from litigation
and/or responsibility. Your software copyright statement should also
establish your ownership of the material.
A software copyright statement is only part of the process required to
protect your software; it is also a significant deterrent to those who
would abuse your copyright and/or your kindness to use and distribute
your software. Even if you are charging people for the use of your
software, you still need to protect the labor you have put into making
not only the software but the distribution method, the website, the
payment method and the thousands of other things that are part and
parcel of the business model for your software distribution.
Most software developers, coders, and programmers aren't as concerned
nearly as much about associating their name with the products they
create. They also want to protect future potential income from their
software. By protecting all your work with a software copyright
statement you are not only protecting current works, but also future
works as well.
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