Section 9 - 2.1 Intellectual Property Rights

GPL (General Public License)

A popular form of licence for open-source software. It meets the free software definition, which specifies certain freedoms concerning use of open-source software.

Free software

It is a computer software distributed under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, and distribute it and any adapted versions.

Patent right

It is a form of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, selling and importing an invention for a limited period of years, in exchange for publishing an enabling public disclosure of the invention.

LGPL (Lesser General Public License)

It is a free-software license published by the Free Software Foundation (FSF). For proprietary software, code under this is usually used in the form of a shared library, so that there is a clear separation between the proprietary and LGPL components.

Utility model right

It is a patent-like intellectual property right to protect inventions. This type of right is available in many countries but, notably, not in the United States, United Kingdom or Canada.

Site license agreement

It is a type of software licensing agreement that grants the purchaser permission to use the software on a network on a single site, with an unlimited number of end users.

Shrink-wrap license

It is an end user agreement, concerning the use of a copyright work, that is enclosed with software in plastic-wrapped packaging. It includes pre-drafted terms and conditions of sale that consumers are required to agree before unpacking and using the work, usually a software product.

Copyright Act

It is an intellectual property right granted by a government that gives the owner exclusive right to use, with some limited exceptions, original expressive work. It is the legal protection extended to the owner of the rights in an original work.

Illicit obtainment of a domain name

It is the act of changing the registration of a domain name without the permission of its original registrant, or by abuse of privileges on domain hosting and registrar software systems. Also known as Domain hijacking or domain theft.

Copyright

It is the exclusive right given to the creator of a creative work to reproduce the work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educational, or musical form.

Copyleft

It is the practice of offering people the right to freely distribute copies and modified versions of a work with the stipulation that the same rights be preserved in derivative works created later.

Design right

It protects the visual appearance of a product or item and gives you exclusive rights for that appearance to the extent that, if necessary, there is a legal right to stop an unauthorized party from producing or using your design.

Volume license agreement

This typically offers organizations lower pricing, two or three-year license agreements and often product use rights not included with FPP (Full Packaged Product) licenses, such as rights to copy the software onto multiple devices.

Trademark right

Certain exclusive rights attach to a registered mark. It generally arise out of the use of, or to maintain exclusive rights over, that sign in relation to certain products or services, assuming there are no other trademark objections.

Industrial property law

The aim of this law is to enhance and protect certain economic assets of a business, notably technical creations, ornamental creations and distinctive signs. In effect, industrial property includes: Technical creations, namely patents, plant variety rights and semi-conductor topographies.

Trade secrets

These are a type of intellectual property that comprise formulas, practices, processes, designs, instruments, patterns, or compilations of information that have inherent economic value because they are not generally known or readily ascertainable by others, and which the owner takes reasonable measures to keep secret.

Unfair Competition Prevention Act

This Act provides civil and criminal remedies in such cases where secret information of the company is stolen or disclosed illegally. To protect information according to the Act, companies need to manage such data as "trade secrets".

OSS (Open Source Software)

This is a type of computer software in which source code is released under a license in which the copyright holder grants users the rights to study, change, and distribute the software to anyone and for any purpose. This may be developed in a collaborative public manner.

CAL (Client Access License)

This refers to a commercial software license that allow clients to use server software services. Most commercial desktop apps are licensed so that payment is required for each installation.

Shareware

This software is distributed at low (or sometimes no) cost, but usually requires payment and registration for full legal use. Copies are distributed on a trial basis. This is generally written by individuals or small companies, and its quality and level of support vary widely.

Intellectual property Basic Act

Under this law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs.