When someone creates something — a song, an invention, a logo, a program — they own rights to it. These are Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). Respecting them is both a legal duty and basic fairness. This chapter covers the three main rights, the ways people violate them, and the licences that decide how software may be used.
1The three intellectual property rights
| Right | Protects | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Copyright | Original creative works — books, music, films, software, art | A song, a novel, your own program's code |
| Patent | New inventions — a novel process or device | A new type of engine or a unique gadget |
| Trademark | Brand identity — names, logos, symbols | The Nike swoosh, the name 'Vidaara' |
Quick way to keep them apart: Copyright = creative works, Patent = inventions, Trademark = brand names and logos.
Key points
- Copyright protects original creative works (books, music, software, art).
- Patents protect new inventions (a novel process or device).
- Trademarks protect brand identity — names, logos and symbols.
2Infringement: plagiarism and piracy
Violating someone's intellectual property is called infringement. The common forms:
- Plagiarism — presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own, without giving credit. Copy-pasting an essay or code and claiming you wrote it is plagiarism.
- Copyright infringement — using copyrighted material (music, images, text) without permission.
- Software piracy — copying, distributing or using software without a valid licence (e.g. using a cracked program).
Plagiarism vs copyright infringement: plagiarism is about credit (claiming work as yours), while copyright infringement is about permission (using protected work without rights). You can commit one without the other.
Key points
- Infringement = violating someone's intellectual property rights.
- Plagiarism = passing off others' work/ideas as your own (a credit issue).
- Copyright infringement = using protected work without permission; software piracy = using software without a valid licence.
3Open source vs proprietary, and licences
Software comes with a licence — the rules for how you may use, change and share it. Two broad models:
- Proprietary software — the source code is closed and owned by a company; you buy the right to use it but can't modify or share it (e.g. Microsoft Windows).
- Open Source Software (OSS) — the source code is freely available to view, modify and share (e.g. Linux, Python). Often free of cost too (FOSS = Free and Open Source Software).
Common open-source / open licences
| Licence | In short |
|---|---|
| GPL (General Public License) | Free to use and modify, but anything built on it must also stay open source. |
| Apache License | Permissive — use freely, even in closed/commercial software, with attribution. |
| Creative Commons (CC) | For creative works (images, text, music), letting creators grant specific reuse rights. |
'Free software' usually means free as in freedom (to use, study, modify, share) — not only free of cost.
Key points
- A licence sets the rules for using, modifying and sharing software.
- Proprietary = closed source, owned (Windows); Open Source (OSS) = source freely available to view/modify/share (Linux, Python).
- GPL keeps derivatives open; Apache is permissive (even commercial); Creative Commons covers creative works.
★ Practical: rights and wrongs
Answer briefly:
- Classify: a brand logo, a new invention, a song — which IPR protects each?
- Explain the difference between plagiarism and software piracy.
- Name two examples of open-source software you could use instead of paid alternatives.
- In one line, what does the GPL require of software built on GPL code?
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