This background paper reviews copyright, patent, and trade secret protections as these issues are related to computer software. Topics discussed include current issues regarding legal protection for computer software including the necessity for defining intellectual property, determining what should or should not be protected, commerical piracy,…

The text of the EDUCOM statement on software and intellectual rights that educators are being urged to adopt on campus is presented and discussed. (MSE)

The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of copyright law as it relates to computer software. The computer industry terminology, case law, and software protection by patents and trade secret legislation are examined, and it is argued that the protection of ownership rights of computer software poses major challenges to existing U.S.…

Argues that philosophical, ethical analysis is needed when the moral rules relevant to a situation (such as the use of computers) are not obvious, or when several moral principles come into conflict. In this context, examines rights of ownership of computer programs, and the effects of increasing computer use on privacy and power. (Author/KH)

Discusses changes in the publishing industry resulting from digital electronic networks and optical storage technologies, and explains attributes of information products as types of value for both print and electronic contexts. Electronic products necessary for a shift from paper to electronic formats are identified, and legal issues are…

The first half of the proceedings consists of three papers presented during the program session of a Library of Congress Network Advisory Committee (NAC) meeting. The first, a background paper by Robert L. Oakley, identifies some of the problems that modern information technology has created for the intellectual property system in the United…

The legal system of copyright may have worked in the era of print, but with electronic technology, society needs less encumbered and cheaper access to expressed ideas. Economic success will go to those nations that best succeed in promoting creativity without inhibiting the incorporation of expressed ideas into other products. (MLW)

Discusses protection of intellectual property and the fair use of information from the academic library perspective. Comments on several factors related to intellectual property: politics, economic and cultural contexts, time constraints, and software and online systems. Suggests developing new laws for online environments. (AEF)

Nearly every academic practice is being transformed by information technology. The concept of "piracy," or "theft," presumes that ideas can still be treated as if they are property, and if so, that the rules controlling the movement of idea-properties can be enforced. (MLW)

Strategies that can be used by the dental education profession to develop instructional and information technologies to support curricular reform are proposed. Focus is on strategies that can be successful in a period of scarce institutional resources. Issues discussed include selecting initiatives, technology standards, intellectual property,…

This report, prepared by the Office of Technological Assessment (OTA) in response to a request from the House Committee on the Judiciary, examines the rapid and complex technological changes and trends in computer software technologies and their possible effects on the nation's intellectual property system. The three policy issues identified are:…

Digitization of information and the Internet have profoundly expanded the capacity for openness. This report details the benefits of openness in three areas--open standards, open-source software, and open innovation--and examines the major issues in the debate over whether openness should be encouraged or not. The report explains each of these…