A Practical Guide to IT Law, 3rd Edition

4 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW FOR COMPUTER USERS

Jennifer Pierce

INTRODUCTION

Intellectual property law is a relatively complex subject. This chapter concentrates on the more important aspects for users, so that you are aware of the pitfalls and know when to seek professional advice. The appendix at the end of the chapter provides a basic guide to intellectual property and explains the terminology in use.

Intellectual property is an inescapable element of modern business, especially in the field of information technology. It protects both suppliers’ rights in the systems that they provide and users’ rights in aspects of their usage. Everybody needs to know roughly who owns each part of a computer system and how that impacts on its use. They ...