Copyright Law

Question 1

What are the two points in the copyright law?

Answer 1

• Prevention of software piracy.
• Federation Against Software Theft (FAST).

Question 2

Describe prevention of software piracy.

Answer 2

• An agreement between the company that developed the software and the user must be agreed before the software is installed. This is called the license agreement and covers copyright.
• Some software requires a unique license key to be entered before the installation can continue.
• Some programs will only run if the media (CD/DVD) is in the drive.
• Some programs will only run if a special piece of hardware, called a dongle, is plugged into the back of the computer.

Question 3

Describe FAST.

Answer 3

• Founded in 1984 by the software industry.
• Now supported by over 1,200 companies.
• Not-for-profit organisation.
• Aim to prevent software piracy, and has a policy of prosecuting anyone found to be breaching copyright law.
• Also educates public about good software practise and legal requirements.