Software Copyright Laws

Since computer programs are relatively new, software copyright laws are still often being changed and reformed. Today there are millions of different types of computer programs and software that have many different functions. Software can help users obtain music, protect them from viruses, access the internet and many other beneficial services. With the constant advances of computer programs, many people feel that the software copyright laws are either not strict enough or that they are just not being enforced.

In the mid seventies an organization was created, called The Commission on New Technological Uses of Copyrighted Works. Their main focus is to enforce all copyright laws especially software copyright laws. The commission was formed because at the time, it was obvious that computer programs had no real regulations or protections. The President and congress knew that there was a need for software copyright laws. Computer software was new at the time. So not only was there a need to protect names of software, but software copyright laws were needed to protect characteristics of individual software as well as specific unique functions. In the early eighties, The House of Representatives and The Senate worked together to add “computer program” to already existing copyright law. 1985 was a crucial year for software copyright law. Congress started a very long process that examined the software copyright law word for word and sought out ways to improve and enforce it. The commission that was formed, software copyright law itself and steps to update legislation that were taken gave owners of computer software the same rights as an author of any copyrighted work. Software copyright law gave the creator of a computer program the same legal rights as a someone who has a patented idea or invention.

If it was not for software copyright law, people could steal programs or mimic them in order to create the same or similar program with just a different name. Although software copyright law suggests that creators of computer software are protected by the law, infringement of these laws occur often. The reason why violations of the these laws happen so often is because it is very difficult to supervise and safeguard what software is being created and whether certain software is original or not. There are also many programs that provide its users with the same or similar services. That is when software copyright law becomes more important, yet harder to apply. Owning the rights to characteristics of a program or the way in which a program works is not as clear of an issue as other aspects of the law are. Regardless of it’s short comings, software copyright law is extremely important because it protects owners of software. In 2010, with new software being created constantly, it is imperative that these laws are enforced to the fullest extent.