Legislation relevant to Computer Science:

• Open Source Software

  It is usually free, can be accessed and the source code can be changed.
• Proprietary Software

  Purchased at a cost, cannot be accessed or changed.
• Open Source software- legal and ethical issues

  • Provide copyright
  • Allows more people to take code and possibly change to resell
  • Others could adapt the programs to resell or claim as their own
  • Allows more people to access the software because their is likely no cost
• Proprietary software- legal and ethical issues

  • Provides copyright
  • Cannot be resold or other people claim it as their own
  • Less people can access the software because of the cost
• Open Source software- benefits

  • Wider customer base
  • More exposure
  • Users can alter to make it better / fix bugs
• Open Source software- drawbacks

  • Limited documentation
  • Little financial gain
• Proprietary software- benefits

  • Allows programmer to earn money
  • Gives more control over what happens with the program
  • Usually well tested
• Proprietary software- drawbacks

  • More restrictions for copyright
  • Cannot be adapted to meet users needs
• Legislations relevant to Computer Science:

  • The Data Protection Act 2018
  • Computer Misuse Act 1990
  • Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988
  • Software licences (i.e. open source and proprietary)
• Data Protection Act 2018

  • Personal data must be fairly and lawfully processed
  • Personal data must be obtained for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes
  • Personal data must be adequate, relevant and not excessive
  • Personal data must be accurate and up to date
  • Personal data must not be kept for longer than is necessary
  • Personal data must be handled in a way that ensures security
• The Computer Misuse Act 1990

  • It is illegal to access data stored on a computer unless you have permission to do so. Unauthorised access is often referred to as hacking.
  • It is illegal to access data on a computer when that material will be used to commit further illegal activity, such as fraud or blackmail.
  • It is illegal to make changes to any data stored on a computer when the user does not have permission to do so. If you access and change the contents of someone’s files without their permission, you are breaking the law. This includes installing a virus or other malware which damages or changes the way the computer works.
• The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

  • The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 exists to protect peoples' creations.
  • Copyright is a legal means of ensuring that content creators can protect what they create. In general, copyright does not apply to ideas.
  • Copyright is applied automatically as long as certain criteria are met - it is not necessary to register copyright or to use a © symbol. Work is automatically protected by copyright unless the copyright holder chooses to give that right away.
  • Copyright gives the copyright holder exclusive rights to publish, copy, distribute and sell their creation. No one else can use the work without permission.
• Copyright on a piece of work lasts for a long time, although the rules about how long are quite complicated and vary from country to country. For example, in the UK, copyright on artistic work, literature, music and films lasts for 70 years after the death of the creator.
• Licence

  When using computers, unless you have permission with regard to particular copyrighted material, it is illegal to:

  • make copies of the material
  • publish it and sell it without permission
  • distribute it to other people
  • sell copies to other people
• Exceptions for Copyright

  There are, however, some situations where it is legal to copy, publish, distribute or sell copyrighted material. These are:

  • when you are the copyright holder
  • when you have the copyright holder’s permission
  • when the copyright holder has chosen to give up their copyright