Laguna State Polytechnic University

San Pablo City Campus

College of Computer Studies

Activity Types of Software Licenses

Name: Shiela Mae Reyes Section: BSECE 2A

1. What is a Software License?

 A software license is a document that provides legally binding guidelines for the use
and distribution of software. Software licenses typically provide end users with the
right to one or more copies of the software without violating copyrights. The license
also defines the responsibilities of the parties entering into the license agreement and
may impose restrictions on how the software can be used. Software licensing terms
and conditions usually include fair use of the software, the limitations of liability,
warranties and disclaimers. They also specify protections if the software or its use
infringes on the intellectual property rights of others. Software licenses typically
are proprietary, free or open source. The distinguishing feature is the terms under
which users may redistribute or copy the software for future development or use.

2. What are the types of Software Licenses? Provide a detailed discussion of such.

5 TYPES OF SOFTWARE LICENCE

1. PUBLIC DOMAIN LICENSE

When software is defined as being in the public domain, anyone is free to use and modify
the software without restrictions. This is a “permissive” license that allows adopting the
code into applications or projects and reusing the software as desired.
For many reasons, businesses must exercise caution when adopting public domain software
in projects or other important applications:
Public domain software may not always adhere to best coding practices or may not be up to
standards of secure software that the application requires.
Software that does not fall under specific licensing terms is not always public domain code.
Be sure the software is truly public domain before copying, reusing, or distributing it.

2. GNU/LGPL – GNU LESSER GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE (LGPL)

Under an LGPL license, developers have rights to link to open source libraries within their
own software. Resulting code can be licensed under any other type of license – even
proprietary – when projects are compiled or linked to include an LGPL-licensed library.
The caveat is that if any part of the library is copied into the code or modified, the terms of
the original LGPL license will apply to the developed code that used the library.

3. PERMISSIVE
This type of license is one of the most common and popular among open-source software
licenses. Under a permissive license – also referred to as “Apache” or “BSD style” – there
are few restrictions or requirements for the distribution or modifications of the software.
Another variation of a permissive software license is the “MIT” license.
Variants in permissive licenses include differences in requirements for preserving license
notices and copyrights for the software, as well as how the software may be used
(commercial or private), trademark requirements, and other stipulations.

4. COPYLEFT
This license’s terms are restrictive – known as reciprocal licenses. Under the terms of a
copyleft license, the licensed code may be modified or distributed as part of a software
project if the new code is distributed under the same software license.
This means that if the code included in the software product was specified to be for
“personal use only,” the new product being distributed must carry that same
designation/restriction. Since the original software included with the new project allowed
modifications and distribution, this may not be the best license for software developers
because the resulting code must also carry the copyleft license type – including the
availability of the source code.

5. PROPRIETARY
These software licenses make the software ineligible for copying, modifying, or
distribution. This is the most restrictive type of software license, protecting the developer or
owner from unauthorized use of the software.

3. What is Software Piracy? and identify several forms of software piracy.

 Software piracy is the act of stealing software that is legally protected. This stealing
includes copying, distributing, modifying or selling the software. Copyright laws were
originally put into place so that the people who develop software (programmers,
writers, graphic artists, etc.) would get the proper credit and compensation for their
work. When software piracy occurs, compensation is stolen from these copyright
holders

Five Main Types / Forms of Software Piracy

 Counterfeiting
This type of piracy is the illegal duplication, distribution and/or sale of copyrighted
material with the intent of imitating the copyrighted product. In the case of packaged
software, it is common to find counterfeit copies of the compact discs incorporating
the software programs, as well as related packaging, manuals, license agreements,
labels, registration cards and security features.

 Internet Piracy
This occurs when software is downloaded from the Internet. The same purchasing
rules apply to online software purchases as for those bought in compact disc format.
Common Internet piracy techniques are:
Websites that make software available for free download or in exchange for others
Internet auction sites that offer counterfeit or out-of-channel software
Peer-to-peer networks that enable unauthorized transfer of copyrighted programs

 End User Piracy

This occurs when an individual reproduces copies of software without authorization.
These include:
Using one licensed copy to install a program on multiple computers
Copying discs for installation or distribution
Taking advantage of upgrade offers without having a legal copy of the version to be upgraded
Acquiring academic or other restricted or non-retail software without a proper license
Swapping discs in or outside the workplace

 Client-Server Overuse
This type of piracy occurs when too many users on a network are using a central copy
of a program at the same time. If you have a local-area network and install programs
on the server for several people to use, you have to be sure your license entitles you to
do so. If you have more users than allowed by the license, that's "overuse."

 Hard-Disk Loading
This occurs when a business sells new computers with illegal copies of software
loaded onto the hard disks to make the purchase of the machines more attractive.