Software and the law

In this free course, Software and the law, you'll look at the laws relevant to software and its use, taking a global perspective. A major part of this course is devoted to intellectual-property law, the issue of who owns software and digital content and how that ownership can be protected using instruments like copyright and patents. We also cover how contracts are used to formalise the relationship between purchasers and suppliers of software. Finally, we look at some of the laws that apply to information technology and software to ensure that organisations meet their responsibility of care towards employees, customers, and the general public.

• Introduction
• Learning outcomes
• 1 Why law is necessary
• 1 Why law is necessary
• 2 Intellectual property (IP) rights
• 2 Intellectual property (IP) rights
• 2.1 Motivations for IP laws
• 2.2 International cooperation on IP
• 3 IP rights: copyright, patents, marks and brands
• 3 IP rights: copyright, patents, marks and brands
• 3.1 Copyright
• Copyright in the courts
• Moral rights
• Economic rights
• Distribution and communication of copies
• Exceptions and exemptions
• Berne and TRIPS
• Multimedia rights
• 3.2 Patents: introduction
• 3.3 Patents and software in the EU
• 3.4 Patents and software in the US
• 3.5 Trade marks, service marks and brands
• 4 IP rights: Common and public goods
• 4 IP rights: Common and public goods
• 5 Contracts
• 5 Contracts
• 5.1 Breach of contract
• 5.2 Contract analysis
• 6 Responsibilities to employees and the public
• 6 Responsibilities to employees and the public
• 6.1 Data protection legislation
• 6.2 Data protection law in the UK
• 6.3 Libel and defamation
• 6.4 Product liability and negligence
• 6.5 Limiting liability
• 6.6 Health and safety
• 6.7 Best practice in health-and-safety regulations
• 7 External threats
• 7 External threats
• 7.1 Legislation on misuse
• 7.2 Virus propagation as misuse
• Conclusion
• Glossary
• References
• Acknowledgements