5.5 - Legal and Ethical Concerns Vocabulary

Creative works and inventions that are legally protected from unauthorized use — including written works, music, software, and art

Intellectual Property

A legal protection that gives the creator of an original work exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, and display that work. Applies automatically when a work is created

Copyright

A licensing system that allows creators to share their work with specific permissions, such as allowing reuse with attribution. Licenses range from very open to more restrictive

Creative Commons

Presenting someone else's work, ideas, or code as your own without proper credit — an ethical violation regardless of whether it is also a legal one

Plagiarism

Privacy The right of individuals to control how their personal information is collected, stored, and used by others

Legal agreements between a user and a company that outline what data is collected, how it is used, and what the user agrees to by using the service

Terms of Service

A U.S. law that addresses copyright issues in the digital age, including protections for online platforms and penalties for circumventing digital rights management

DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act)

Exposing illegal or unethical practices within an organization — may be legally protected in some contexts

Whistleblowing