Intellectual Property & Software Licensing (Lecture #12)

20 vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the lecture on intellectual property and software licensing.

Intellectual Property

Creations of the mind—artworks, music, software, etc.—that have value even without physical form and can be legally protected.

Originality and Creativity

Requirement that a work must be new and show a degree of creative effort; it cannot be copied from existing works.

Fixation

Condition that a work must be captured in a tangible medium (e.g., saved as a digital file) rather than exist only as an idea.

Ownership

The identifiable author or rights holder of an intellectual work; only humans can be authors under Singapore’s Copyright Act.

Copyright

Legal right allowing owners to control use, distribution, and reproduction of their intellectual property.

License

Official statement of permissions and restrictions granted by an IP owner; can also mean the authorisation obtained after paying a fee or meeting conditions.

Proprietary Software

Commercial software whose copyright protections are retained; copying, modifying, or distributing it without permission is usually illegal.

End User License Agreement (EULA)

Contract outlining terms under which proprietary software may be used; users must accept it to legally run the software.

Freeware

Proprietary software offered at no cost but whose source code remains secret and modification is typically illegal.

Shareware

Demonstration software distributed free for a limited evaluation period; continued use requires payment of a registration fee.

Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS)

Software that grants freedom to study, modify, copy, and share the code while still being protected by copyright.

General Public License (GPL)

A widely used FOSS license requiring that distributed versions remain open-source and provide credit to original authors.

Creative Commons (CC) Licenses

Licenses that let creators specify how others may copy, modify, and distribute their work; mainly for non-software content.

Software Piracy

Illegal copying, distribution, or use of copyrighted software, causing revenue loss and potential legal penalties.

Crack (Software)

Program used by pirates to alter proprietary software so illegal copies appear legitimate or bypass copy-protection.

Spyware, Malware, and Viruses

Malicious software often bundled with pirated programs, leading to identity theft, data loss, or system failure.

Copyright Infringement

Any unauthorised use or distribution of copyrighted material, including software piracy and illegal streaming devices.

Public Domain

Body of works whose copyrights have expired or been waived, allowing anyone to copy and modify them without permission.

10 Percent Rule (Educational Use)

Guideline allowing up to 10 % of a copyrighted electronic work to be copied for study or research if properly cited.

Generative AI (GenAI) Verification

Practice of checking and citing the sources used by AI-generated content to avoid plagiarism and misinformation.