4.+Copyright+and+the+law

=**List THREE ways of committing a crime under Australia's //Copyright Act // . **=  - If someone was to use another person’s work and pass it off as their own - Recording a concert or filming a movie in the cinemas without any consent - Encouraging someone to infringe copyright (Australian Copyright Council, 2009) (Examples shown in the following widget) media type="custom" key="5739793" width="180" height="180"

Shareware allows potential buyers the opportunity to trial a program or software before purchasing. This includes a compressed version of the product with a certain time period which can be from a few days to a month where users can use the program as much as they want unless conditions are different, which in some cases they are. This is cheaper because the public is allowed a FREE trial and even it only lasts a few days, if they really grow fond of the program they can buy it.(High Speed Internet Access Guide, 2002-2010) DRM (Digital Rights/Restriction Management) is a strategy developed to reduce software piracy. To do this software authors have restricted what users can and can't do with their product.(DefectiveByDesign.org, 2009 )
 * Explain why shareware is cheaper than commercial software packages. **
 * Describe the technology developed by one Australian company to reduce software piracy.

Why is copyright a major problem to multimedia publishers? **  Copyright has become a major problem to multimedia publishers because of the internet and its vast variety of options and users. Very smart people have devised ways to decode and hack programs so that they can copy without anyone knowing and selling them off for personal profit. Multimedia publishers then lose income due to the fact that more people are copying rather than buying. Unfortunately this is common and because the internet is so widely available it happens in many places. Personally I don’t think it is right to copy software without the permission of the author, it is morally incorrect and cowardly. Too commonly do people plagiarise and steal programs off the internet without permission, depending on how it is used varies its severity but still some recognition of the author should be included. If it is for personal use it is not as bad, but once again recognition of the author in the bibliography or somewhere should it be annotated. All Software designers and creators have the right to be attributed (or credited) in their work and not to be falsely attributed. They can be attributed when programs are: - Reproduced - Published - Exhibited - Communicated - Adapted These rights also apply to artistic works, musical works, dramatic works, computer programs and feature films. (Australian Copyright Council, 2006)
 * Do you think it is right to copy software without the permission of the author? Justify your answer. **
 * What are the legal issues surrounding software and the internet? In particular, look at sites from which software may be downloaded e.g. list the types of software available on such sites. Search for the Australian Copyright Council's site and see what you can discover about the rights of software designers when their software is made available on the Internet. **