Copyright law

Computer users must obey the copyright law. When you buy software [software : Instructions for a computer. Software tells the hardware what to do. ]:

• You do not have the right to give a copy to a friend.
• You cannot make a copy of the CD with a CD writer and then sell it.
• You cannot use the software on a networknetwork : A number of computers linked together to allow them to share resources. unless the licence allows it.
• You cannot rent out the software without the permission of the copyright holder.

Software companies take many steps to stop software piracysoftware piracy: The production of illegal copies of software.:

• The licence agreement is normally part of the installation process and you have to press ‘ok’ or ‘I agree’ to be allowed to install the software. This applies equally to downloaded software.
• You are usually asked to type in a licence key which is a set of letters and numbers, when you install the software.
• Some programs will only run if the CD-ROMCD-ROM: Compact Disk Read Only Memory - optical disks that use the same technology as musical compact discs. They store up to 700mb of data and a laser beam is used to read the data off the disc. is in the CD drive.
• Some programs will only run if a special piece of hardware [hardware: Machinery and equipment such as the monitor, the mouse, the processor, etc. ] called a dongle is plugged into the back of the computer.