A bundle of software rights and duties

Douglas, David M. (2011) A bundle of software rights and duties. Ethics and Information Technology, 13 3: 185-197.


Author Douglas, David M.
Title A bundle of software rights and duties
Journal name Ethics and Information Technology  (ERA 2012 Listed)    (ERA 2010 Rank B)   Check publisher's open access policy
Publication date 2011-09
Sub-type Article
Year available 2010
DOI 10.1007/s10676-010-9229-3
Volume number 13
Issue number 3
ISSN 1388-1957; 1572-8439
Start page 185
End page 197
Total pages 13
Editor Jeroen van den Hoven
Noemi Manders-Huits
Place of publication Springer Netherlands
Publisher Dordrecht, Netherlands
Collection year 2011
Language eng
Formatted abstract Like the ownership of physical property, the issues computer software ownership raises can be understood as concerns over how various rights and duties over software are shared between owners and users. The powers of software owners are defined in software licenses, the legal agreements defining what users can and cannot do with a particular program. To help clarify how these licenses permit and restrict users’ actions, here I present a conceptual framework of software rights and duties that is inspired by the terms of various proprietary, open source, and free software licenses. To clarify the relationships defined by these rights and duties, this framework distinguishes between software creators (the original developer), custodians (those who can control its use), and users (those who utilise the software). I define the various rights and duties that can be shared between these parties and how these rights and duties relate to each other. I conclude with a brief example of how this framework can be used by defining the concepts of free software and copyleft in terms of rights and duties.
© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010
Keyword Duties
Rights
Software licenses
Software ownership
Users
Free software
Copyleft
Q-Index Code C1
Q-Index Status Confirmed Code
Institutional Status UQ
Additional Notes Published online June 5, 2010

Document type: Journal Article
Sub-type: Article
Collections: Official 2011 Collection
School of History, Philosophy, Religion and Classics Publications
 
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Created: Wed, 09 Mar 2011, 16:08:57 EST by Mrs Gaylene Wagner on behalf of School of History, Philosophy, Religion & Classics