Persia wrote:
It's not piracy, if you buy a program it's yours to do with as you please so long as you don't distribute it to others.
This has been corrected countless times in this forum, but I think the following information needs to be included. This should clear up any misunderstandings about the Australian Intellectual Property Laws.
I retrived this info from the
Business Victoria Website
What is intellectual property?
Intellectual property (IP) refers to 'property of the mind or intellect'. It can be an invention, trade mark, original design or the practical application of a good idea. In business terms, this means your proprietary knowledge.
Although IP is found in the physical entities resulting from creative effort, the IP itself can also be traded separately as an intangible asset.
Think of a CD: when you purchase the item, you receive a disc, a case and a booklet. However, you also receive the designs, logos and the music on the disc. These aspects of the CD aren't objects that you 'hold' (i.e. they are intangible), but they are considered property that can be traded.
By buying the disc, you have not gained ownership of the artwork and music. Rather, you have gained the right to use them in certain ways. This is because these products are the intellectual property of other entities and are protected by laws governing their use, ownership and reproduction. IP laws cover a broad range of products, including:
copyright - for original material in literary, artistic, dramatic or musical works, films, broadcasts, multimedia and computer programs
trademarks - for letters, words, phrases, sounds, smells, shapes, logos, pictures, aspects of packaging or a combination of these to distinguish the goods and services of one trader from those of another
designs - for the shape and appearance of manufactured goods
So therefore you only purchase the rights to use the Intellectual Property in the manner detailed by the owner of said Intellectual Property upon purchase.
Although personally I don't really care what I am legally entitled to when it comes to IP. Just as long as I don't get caught.
