2.4.2. Copyright and licenses
Most computer software products are
protected using copyright or licensing provisions. Copyright law gives the
owner of a work certain right over it, and makes it illegal for others to use
the work as though they were its owner. Originally copyright came into being in
the 18th century to ensure that authors where properly remunerated
for their work. Its concepts originate in the protection of written work, and
it can be helpful to remember that computer software and its associated
materials are treated by the law as species of literary work.
Software vendors earn money through
licenses. A license is a permission given by the copyright owner to other
person (known as the licensee). The
copyright owner agrees to permit the licensee to take action that would
otherwise be prohibited by law, such as copying, adapting and/or distributing
the work. The licensee will agree to take these actions within the boundaries set
by the license – perhaps only creating and distributing a certain numbers of
copies, or paying a royalty on each copy distributed. Software manufacturers
are developing new approaches to licensing their software to lock in a steady,
predictable stream of revenue from their customers. There are numerous types of
software licenses to help accomplish these objectives, including the following:
Type
of Software Licenses
|
Description
|
Usage based license
|
Fees are based on the actual usage of the software
|
Capacity-base license
|
Fees are based on the processing power of the computer on which
the software is installed.
|
Software as a network service
|
Fees depending on services providing for bug fixing
enhancement, and other updates over the web
|
Subscription license
|
Multiyear or annual subscription fees on software product
based on the number of PCs they have.
|
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