Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, music, movies, symbols, names, images, and designs.

Most new ideas in the computer field involve intellectual property Intellectual property must be protected to promote development of new and useful things US Constitution, Article 1, Section 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.”

Intended to protect ownership of original creative and artistic works Originally covered books, maps, charts, but now includes engravings and prints, musical compositions, photographs, motion pictures, sound recordings, and software. Protects expression of idea, not idea itself Originally, copyrights were good for life of author plus 50 years

You have one as soon as work fixed in some tangible medium –Just add the © symbol, including the year of origination –For software, copyrights are placed on the packaging, disk, as part of the code, as part of execution Can apply for a registered copyright with the Copyright Office, but not required –Useful for infringement protection –Registration is easy and inexpensive Most everything on the Internet is copyrighted and should not be used without permission.

Control creation of direct copies of the work Control creation of derivative copies of the work Control distribution of copies of the work Control public performances or display of the work These rights can be transferred

“First sale” rule –A buyer can use the copyrighted material but not make copies. Protection against translation to other languages Protection against conversion from one medium to another Infringement requires access and substantial similarity –E.g., plagiarism

Ideas Blank forms Facts –Compilations of facts are copyrightable Words Short phrases –Can be trademarks

US Copyright Law (Title 17 of the US Code) Protects copyright owners from the unauthorized reproduction, adaptation, performance, display or distribution of copyright protected works. Penalties for copyright infringement differ in civil and criminal cases. –Civil remedies are generally available for any act of infringement without regard to the intention or knowledge of the defendant, or harm to the copyright owner. –Criminal penalties are available for intentional acts undertaken for purposes of "commercial advantage" or "private financial gain." "Private financial gain" includes the possibility of financial loss to the copyright holder as well as traditional "gain" by the defendant. Punishable by up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines

Anti-Bootleg Statute (18 USC Section 2319) Prohibits the unauthorized recording, manufacture, distribution, or trafficking in sound recordings or videos of artists' live musical performances. Violators can be punished with up to 5 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

Fair Use Doctrine (17 USC Section 107) Limits the extent of property interest granted to the copyright holder. For example, this might allow citizens to cite a quotation from copyrighted material when the excerpt is used for teaching, research, news reporting, comment, criticism, … Some limitations: Depends on –Nature of the use (commercial purposes, non-profit, educational) –Length of the excerpt –How distinctive the original work is –How the use will impact the market for the original work Basically not allowed to take "value" without permission

Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act Extends U.S. copyright from life of the author plus 50 years, to life of the author plus 70 years. Idea was to end the discrimination against U.S. works abroad, where countries applied a copyright to U.S. works which resulted in American creators receiving less protection than their foreign counterparts

Digital Millennium Copyright Act DMCA – US Code Title 17 Became law in October 1998 Originally supported by the software and entertainment industries, and opposed by scientists, librarians, and academics. Makes it a crime to circumvent anti-piracy measures built into most commercial software. Outlaws the manufacture, sale, or distribution of code-cracking devices used to illegally copy software.

Sharing and Downloads –Music –Movies –Software Plagiarism We must honor intellectual property. –In the future, you will be the IP creators!

File-sharing sites are legal. However, using it to upload or download copyright protected media -- music, videos, images, software -- without the copyright holder's consent is illegal because it is theft.

This site helps you create a citation for a variety of materials like books, magazines, encyclopedias, and even the Internet! The first thing you need to decide when creating a citation is the style