A. Why offer legal protection to software?
 
1. Protects investment (money & personnel time)

2. Taking someone's program feels like theft



3. To insure future investment & development
 

B. What is the best way to protect software?

1. Absolute secrecy
 

 
a. Reveal it to no one

b. Cannot be sold or used

c. Impractical!
 

2. Thus, developed trade secret law

3. Other resources on the web





 
 
 
 
 
 

a. Mark Halligan, "How to Protect Intellectual Property Rights in Computer Software,"

http://www.execpc.com/~mhallign/computer.html

b. Software and Information Industry Association website

http://www.siia.net/

c. Intellectual Property Mall (Franklin Pierce School of Law)

http://www.ipmall.fplc.edu/
 
 

A. Actual versus legal trade secret

B. State law protection

C. Requirements:
 

1. Novelty

2. Value

3. Secrecy
 

D. Confidentiality agreements



1. Do not always work well

2. Will permit software developer to sue violator

3. But, secrecy is lost
 

E. Reverse engineering permitted if no confidential relationship

F. Primary software litigation - misappropriation or theft of a trade secret

G. Other resources
 

1. Oppendahl & Larson, General Information about Trade Secrets

http://www.patents.com/secrets.sht

2. Lee T. Gesmer "Trade Secret Protection of Computer Software"

http://www.lgu.com/ts50.htm

3. Lee T. Gesmer, "Protection of Trade Secrets in the Computer Industry,"

http://www.lgu.com/ts49.htm

4. Trade Secret Homepage, Mark Halligan, Esq.

http://www.seamless.com/trade/
 
 

A. Constitution & statute
 
1. U.S. Constitution, Art. I, § 8, clause 8

"Congress shall have the Power...To promote the Progress
of Science and Useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to
Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective
Writings and Discoveries"

2. Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. § 101-1101 (1994), effective 1-1-78



B. Requirements
 
1. Originality (with creativity)

2. Fixation



3. Form of expression not facts & ideas

4. Term = life + 70 if personal author; if corporate author = 95 years after date of 1st publication or 120 years after creation, whichever comes first
 
 

C. Works protected
 
1. 8 categories of works - literary works includes software

2. Works for hire
 

D. Exclusive rights
 
1. Rights of the copyright holder = reproduction, distribution, adaptation, performance & display

2. Limitations on exclusive rights
 

a. First sale - § 109(a)
 


b. Fair use - § 107- four factors
 

1. Purpose & character of use

2. Nature of copyrighted work

3. Amount & substantiality used

4. Market effect
 

3. Independent creation permitted

4. Reverse engineering - no
 

E. Primary software litigation = infringement

F. Other resources
 

1. Copyright Website

http://www.benedict.com/

2. Eric S. Freibrun, "Get it in Writing -- Software, Copyrights and Works Made for Hire"

http://www.cl.ais.net/lawmsf/articl1.htm

3.    Oppendahl & Larson   "General Information about Copyright"

http://www.patents.com/copyrigh.sht
 

 http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/

IV. Patent
 

A. Constitution and statute
 
1. Shares Constitutional clause with copyright

2. Patent Act of 1952, 35 U.S.C. § 1-376 (1994)



B. The patent right
 
1. Eligibility - § 101 "Whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, manufacture or composition of matter, any new and useful improvement thereof, may obtain a patent..."

2. The right to exclude others from making, using, selling or offering to sell the invention

3. Term = 20 years after date of issue

4. Patentable subject matter: not products of nature, mathematical formulae
 

C. Requirements
 
1. Originality

2. Utility

3. Novelty
 


4. Nonobviousness
 

D. Most difficult to obtain but offers greatest protection
 
1. Prior art search at Patent & Trademark Office

2. Independent creation not permitted

3. Nor is reverse engineering
 

E. Primary software litigation = patent prosecution, i.e., getting the patent issued

F. Other resources
 

1. Software Patent Resource

http://www.softwarepatent.com/

2.    David R. Syrowik & Roland J. Cole, "A Primer on Software-Related Patents and the Software Patent Institute"

http://www.spi.org/primintr.htm

3. Computer-Related Invention Guidelines

http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/dapp/oppd/patoc.htm

4. Jeffrey R. Kuester & Ann K. Moceyunas, "Patents for Software Related Inventions"

http://www.kuesterlaw.com/swpat.html

5.    U.S. Patent Office, Patents database

http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html
 

    A. Agreement only between the parties

    B.  Governed by state contract law

    C.  Proposed article 2B Uniform Commercial Code

          http://www.law.upenn.edu/bll/ulc/ulc_frame.htm

  D.  UCITA:  Uniform Computer Information Transaction Act

        1.    National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws

                    http://www.nccusl.org

        2.    A Guide to UCITA

                http://www.2BGuide.com/
 
 
 

Copyright          Laura N. Gasaway       2000