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Should Companies Copyright Their Code?

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  • Should Companies Copyright Their Code?

    ** This thread discusses the article: Should Companies Copyright Their Code? **
    ** This thread discusses the Content article: Should Companies Copyright Their Code? **
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  • #2
    Should Companies Copyright Their Code?

    ** This thread discusses the article: Should Companies Copyright Their Code? **
    "Of course, your first thought is that you'll get yourself a new i5 computer from IBM and rewrite the algorithms, perhaps even in Java! After all, this great insight into the workings of the universe should not be suppressed. Alas! Because the code has been copyrighted, you end up being sued by your former employer. According to his interpretation of the copyright laws, you're barred from replicating these algorithms for a period of 95 years (at which time you will have joined the angel band yourself). You are prevented from re-creating the work--in any form of expression--until the IP rights of the corporation itself have expired." 1) As far as I know "algorithms" fall into the category of mathematical expressions and cannot be copyrighted. 2) The "concept" or "idea" of the program cannot be copyrighted, otherwise Mickey Spillane could have copyrighted the concept of the "detective novel" and no one else could have written a detective story without his permission. Only the exact expression of a work can be copyrighted.

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    • #3
      Should Companies Copyright Their Code?

      ** This thread discusses the article: Should Companies Copyright Their Code? **
      While you're correct in saying that the copyright law does not reach to individual algorithms, various courts have ruled that combinations of algorithms that form an "expression" of an idea can be copyrighted in an application as a derivation. This is the point of the lawsuit: copyrights for software are interpreted in various ways by various courts to mean different things.

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      • #4
        Should Companies Copyright Their Code?

        ** This thread discusses the article: Should Companies Copyright Their Code? **
        A point not covered in this article, is the ownership of code written by a non-employee. IANAL but according to several articles, and my own attorney, code written by a contract programmer is not the property of the cleint company, unless specified by contract. Either the consultant, or the consultant firm owns the code according to previous agreement. This brings up a scenario where an independent contractor writes the same or similar code at more than one client location. If the first client discovers this, and takes umbrage, there is no recourse as the first client never owned the code in the first place. Anyone finding intrigue with copyright laws should examine Mark Twain's comments on the subject. Dave

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