Intellectual property issues in software

by National Research Council (U.S.). Steering Committee for Intellectual Property Issues in Software

This work is based on discussions at a 1989 workshop and forum on intellectual property issues in software. Copyright, patent, and trade secret protections are afforded to computer software; however, given the unique nature of computer software, the debate examines how appropriate these forms of protections are. Copyright law, for instance, makes a distinction between idea and expression; one is not copyrightable and the other is. In computer software, the distinction between idea and expression is blurred. It is not clear if one should treat software as a literary expression or as a technology that does useful work. Likewise, court decisions in the case of patent protection are still evolving. ISBN 0-309-04344-1: $15.00.