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Copyright

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This lesson will cover:

The purpose of the Copyright and Patents Act.

The different types of software licences, as well as freeware and shareware software.

Why copyright infringements are illegal.

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The Copyright and Patents Act aims to protect people who invent things from having their ideas stolen.

Copyright law covers music, books, video and photos. It also covers software as a whole, as well as the code that makes up the software.

Copyright and Patents Act

Do you know what is covered

by copyright law?

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Copying software: the law

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Software licences

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Freeware is software that you can legally use without paying for it.

Shareware allows users to try a program before they buy it.

Freeware and shareware

There are two further ways that software can be legally used. These are called freeware and shareware.

Why do companies allow their software to be used for free?

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Copyright questions

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Many people now download music from the Internet, rather than buying CDs.

Musical copyright

However, these sites usually involve a fee, andinstead, some people choose to download music illegally.

There are many sites where the songs have the approval of the record label and artist.

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It is illegal for users to copy music they do not have copyright for and share it with other people.

Musical copyright

The music industry is targeting uploaders, who make tracks in their collection available for other people to download.

Anyone who does this is breaking the law, and these people are tracked by their IP address.

Whether it is one song or a million, uploaders are infringing copyright and run the risk of prosecution.

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Avoid breaking copyright laws

There are some steps you can take to ensure that you don’t break copyright laws.

Always check if a piece of work is copyrighted.

If copying music or images, you should ask for permission unless you are sure they are OK to use.

Always acknowledge your source when using someone else’s work.

If e-mailing for permission, give details of how you want to use the work. This will speed up the process.