Intellectual Property and Software Development

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from the lecture notes on Intellectual Property and Software Development.

Intellectual Property

Term used to describe works of the mind that are distinct and owned or created by a person or group.

Copyright Law

Protects authored works and grants creators the right to distribute, display, perform, reproduce work.

Patent Laws

Protect inventions and grant property rights to inventors.

Trade Secret Laws

Help safeguard information critical to an organization’s success and that is generally unknown to the public.

Fair Use Doctrine

Factors to consider when evaluating the use of copyrighted material, including purpose, nature, and effect on value.

Copyright Infringement

Copying substantial and material parts of another's copyrighted work without permission.

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Agency of the United Nations that advocates for the interests of intellectual property owners.

Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)

Legislation that added new provisions to copyright law, including civil and criminal penalties.

Software Patent

Feature, function, or process embodied in instructions executed on a computer.

Noncompete Agreements

Contracts that require employees not to work for competitors for a specified period.

Plagiarism

The theft and passing off of someone’s ideas or words as one’s own.

Reverse Engineering

The process of taking something apart to understand it, build a copy of it, or improve it.

Open Source Code

Program source code made available for use or modification by anyone.

Cybersquatting

The registration of domain names similar to famous trademarks to profit from them.

Safety-Critical Systems

Systems where failure may cause injury or death, requiring a rigorous development process.

Product Liability

The liability of manufacturers for injuries caused by defective products.

Quality Management Standards

Guidelines such as ISO 9000 that outline procedures to ensure quality in products and services.

Redundancy

Provision of multiple interchangeable components to cope with failures and errors.

N-version Programming

Form of redundancy using different algorithms on separate systems to execute instructions.

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)

Evaluates reliability by identifying potential design and process failures early.