1. Copyright Laws and Software By Shana Jenkins Carol Dickinson Brittany Caldarulo Sarah Hunkeler

2. Copyright Law What is copyright? Copyright is a form of protection provided by the US Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship. Copyright protects both published and unpublished works.

3. Software Piracy What is Software Piracy? Software piracy is the unauthorized copying or distribution of copyrighted software. This can be done by copying, downloading, sharing, selling, or installing multiple copies onto personal or work computers. It is illegal and holds serious consequences for violators.

4. How to NOT Pirate Software Whenever purchasing or receiving software make sure you have the COA, Certificate of Authentication. This is your certificate that states you own the rights to use the software. This is also referred to as a license by most software companies. Become familiar with the EULA Agreement that comes with the software. This is the agreement between the author of the software and you. Once you agree to their terms you are stating that you know the rules of the use software and will follow them. These are different for all software companies.

5. How to NOT Pirate Software Continued Keep in mind that if you buy a piece of hardware with software already installed you will need to find out if the software is OEM, Original Equipment Manufacturer, or a box copy. This simply means either it came with hardware, OEM, and can NEVER be transferred to another piece of hardware, or if it is box copy and it can be transferred to another piece of hardware. As always please check your EULA agreement.

6. Consequences are Serious A company or an individual found using unlicensed software and violating copyright laws can pay damages of up to $150,000 for each software title copied. In addition, the government can criminally prosecute you for copyright infringement. If convicted, you can be fined up to $250,000, or sentenced to five years in jail, or both. The company BSA, Business Software Alliance, help monitor software copyright laws for software companies.

7. Did You Know…. 1 in 5 pieces of software in the US are unlicensed. You will never own the copyright to the software you install or download just the rights to use the software, unless of course you are the author or purchase the copyright. You can make a copy of your software for archival or backup purposes only according to section 117 of the copyright law. Please remember to always check your EULA first as this agreement would over ride section 117.

8. Resources http://www.copyright.gov/ https://reporting.bsa.org/usa/report/add.a spx?cmpid=eggus000103 https://reporting.bsa.org/usa/report/add.a spx?cmpid=eggus000103 http://www.microsoft.com/howtotell/defa ult.aspx?displaylang=en http://www.microsoft.com/howtotell/defa ult.aspx?displaylang=en http://www.benedict.com/Digital/Software /Software.aspx http://www.benedict.com/Digital/Software /Software.aspx All pictures authorized to use from dreamstime.com.