Data Protection & Copyright – Unlicensed Software

Computer software is covered by the same copyright laws that protect novels, music and art.
A software license gives you permission to use a piece of computer software.
Unlicensed software is software you don’ t have a license agreemen t for or when you break the rules of the license agreement.

Buying software is buying the license

When you buy computer software you do not own the software or the copyright.
You are actually buying the right to use the software under the restrictions imposed by the copyright owner.
These restrictions are described in the license agreement.

Usually, copyright restrictions on software will all you to load the software onto a single computer and make one back-up copy.
When software is copied, the license to use the software does not automatically transfer to the copy.
You must have permission to make copies of software.
To make unauthorised copies is against the law – even if you’ re just swapping softwa re with friends.

As downloading software means you have your own copy of it on your computer, downloading software is governed by the same rules as copying software is.

You must not buying a single copy of computer software and then install it on multiple company computers.
If you want to use more than one copy of a piece of software you should consider volume licensing – it is much cheaper than buying software licenses separately.
You must make sure your company does not allow too many employees to simultaneously access a central copy of computer software – which is called client-server overuse.
You must make sure your employees do not make or download copies of software onto company computers – you are responsible for the software on your computers.