Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S. Code) to the authors of "original works of authorship" including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, architectural and certain other intellectual works.
Its define as: Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, which infringes the copyright holder's exclusive rights ( such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work).
Plagiarism is the act of stealing and passing off the ideas, words, or other intellectual property produced by another as one's own. For example, using someone else's words in a research paper without citing the source, is an act of plagiarism.
• First law enacted 1790.
• 1976 copyright law followed international law, extending copyright for 50 years after death of the author/creator.
• On October 27, 1998, President Clinton signed into law the "Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act," which extends the terms of almost all existing copyrights by 20 years, to provide copyrights in the United States the same protection afforded in Europe. The basic term of copyright protection, the life of the creator plus 50 years, has been increased to life plus 70 years. The term for "work for hire" has been extended from 75 to 95 years.
How long does copyright last?
• Works created on or after Jan 1978 - life of author + 70
The OWNER/manufacturer/creator[but not always the creator ] of the work CAN:
• create derivative works based upon the work.
• sell, rent, lease, lend copies of the work.
• publicly perform literary, musical, dramatic, motion picture and other audiovisual works.
• publicly perform sound recordings.
It is not necessary to have a notice of copyright (i.e.: © 1997 Jane Doe) for material to be copyright protected in the U.S. Once something tangible is produced, text, graphics, music, video, etc., it is automatically copyrighted. Sound recordings and some other property use other copyright symbols. Anyone can use the copyright symbol on her or his original work.
The Internet and Copyright:
"The Internet has been characterized as the largest threat to copyright since its inception.
What is protected on the WWW?
The unique underlying design of a Web page and its contents, including:
• html, vrml, other unique markup language sequences
• List of Web sites compiled by an individual or organization
• and all other unique elements that make up the original nature of the material.
When creating a Web page, you CAN:
• Link to other Web sites. [However, some individuals and organizations have specific requirements when you link to their Web material. Check a site carefully to find such restrictions. It is wise to ask permission. You need to cite source, as you are required to do in a research paper, when quoting or paraphrasing material from other sources. How much you quote is limited.]
• Use free graphics on your Web page. If the graphics are not advertised as "free" they should not be copied without permission.
When creating a Web page, you CANNOT:
• Put the contents of another person's or organizations web site on your Web page
• Copy and paste information together from various Internet sources to create "your own" document. [You CAN quote or paraphrase limited amounts, if you give credit to the original source and the location of the source. This same principle applies to print sources, of course.]
• Incorporate other people's electronic material, such as e-mail, in your own document, without permission.
• Forward someone's e-mail to another recipient without permission
• Change the context of or edit someone else's digital correspondence in a way which changes the meaning
• Copy and paste others' lists of resources on your own web page
• Copy and paste logos, icons, and other graphics from other web sites to your web page (unless it is clearly advertised as "freeware." Shareware is not free). Some organizations are happy to let you use their logos, with permission - it is free advertising. But they want to know who is using it. They might not approve of all sites who want to use their logo. Many aspects of the issue of copyright and the Internet are still not resolved.
What Are the Consequences of Copyright Infringement?
If you use a copyrighted work without permission and your usage is not exempt under copyright law, you are infringing upon the copyright holder's rights. The copyright holder can sue you for actual damages or loss of profits. The copyright holder may also seek statutory damages up to $150,000 per infringement. See Section 504 for additional detail.
What Cannot Be Copyrighted?
To be protected by copyright, original works must be fixed in a tangible form of expression. For example, improvisational performances or choreographic works that have not been notated or recorded are not protected. Titles, names, short phrases, slogans, familiar symbols and designs are also not protected under Copyright Law, but they may be protected under Trademark Law. Similarly procedures, processes, and systems, although not protected under copyright, may be protected under Patent Law.
Categories of unprotected works include:
• Works already in the public domain
• Ideas, concepts, principles
• Works containing no original authorship (e.g., calendars, height and weight charts, and rulers)
• Common property (e.g., Wikipedia)
How Do You Copyright a Work?
• All original works of authorship with a “modicum of creativity” that have been fixed in a tangible medium of expression are protected under the Copyright Law. Once these requirements are met, you have a copyright. However, it is an unregistered one.
Describing Violators: some ways people violate copyright laws
Computer hacking is broadly defined as intentionally accesses a computer without authorization or exceeds authorized access. Various state and federal laws govern computer hacking.
intentionally accesses a computer without authorization or exceeds authorized access, and thereby obtains--
information contained in a financial record of a financial institution, or of a card issuer as defined in section 1602(n) of title 15, or contained in a file of a consumer reporting agency on a consumer, as such terms are defined in the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.);
Computer Piracy is when someone installs and uses commercial software without paying for the program, it is called "pirating" the software. This name comes from the traditional meaning of the word "pirate," which is a sea-faring criminal that steals and loots belongings from others. But far from the stereotypical sea pirate, a software pirate can be anyone who owns a computer. Software piracy is committed by simply downloading or copying a program that a user has not paid for.
Eg: Since computer programs are stored in a digital format, they are easy to copy and reproduce. For example, a game may be burned to a CD and transferred to the computer of an individual who has not paid for the program. Software programs can also be illegally downloaded from the Internet from unauthorized sources. Since pirating software does not require many resources, it has grown into a major problem for the computer industry.
International Virus setting: What is a computer virus?
A computer virus is a computer program that can replicate itself[1] and spread from one computer to another. Viruses can increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer.
Eg. Malware includes computer viruses, computer worms, Trojan horses, most root kits, spyware, dishonest adware and other malicious and unwanted software, including true viruses.
Viruses can be confused with worms and Trojan horses, which are technically different. A worm can exploit security vulnerabilities to spread itself automatically to other computers through networks, while a Trojan horse is a program that appears harmless but hides malicious functions. Worms and Trojan horses, like viruses, may harm a computer system's data or performance.