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Software Protection Basics
The protection of computer software by the law is a multi-million pound business. This law-byte sets out the very, very basics, of such protection. It is intended for the absolute beginner, and lists the various ways of beginning to protect software
| What is protected | How Obtained | Cost | Length of protection | |
| Copyright | The text and layouts you create. Anything which can be seen to be copied. | Automatic when reduced to semi-permanent form | Nil, save for steps to establish provenance. | Life of author, plus 70 years |
| Patents | The underlying idea. It must be novel, not have been published previously, and produce a technical effect. | By Registration. Often expensive, but not as expensive as not doing it. | Several thousands of pounds, but not so much to start. | Twenty years, subject to renewals |
| Confidentiality | Everything, but only weakly | By keeping it secret from the start, and disclosing it only under conditions of secrecy. | Agreement costs - small | As long as you can keep it secret. Not long. |
| Trade Marks | The name and packaging style of the product | Registration. | Several hundreds, unless and until challenged | Permanent if you keep trading and paying the fees. |
| Database Right | Information in your database. The protection is less than full copyright. | Automatic | Nil | Life plus 70 |
The protection of software is vital and subtle, and requires to be planned in advance. Far too often wonderful software prove to have nil value because the contractual arrangements under which it was written are inadequate. Nobody will buy what you cannot sell.