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This case will be
discussed in detail during the course, and a careful reading will be needed
in order to allow you to discuss the contents intelligently. Students
who do not demonstrate during class time that they have done the required
reading and grasped the questions posed in case studies may have their
course mark reduced accordingly, or may fail the course.
Before reading this
case study, please make sure that you have done the reading set out in
the reading list.
This case study is
copyright Phil Cohen, 1998. No part of it may be copied or used in any
way without the author's permission. None of the organisations or individuals
named in this case are based on, or are intended to represent, real organisations
or individuals.
- John Smith is
a policeman, and in his spare time writes a piece of software to keep
track of articles reported stolen at the police station where he works.
He installs the software on his work PC and starts using it. Soon his
Station Commander takes an interest, and asks if John could develop
a network version of the software, which he does during working hours.
The software is so successful that John decides to sell it to the Police
Service, and approaches his Station Commander, who refuses to pay for
it. John decides to sue the police service for breach of copyright -
what are his chances?
- Acme P/L has bought
and paid for a copy of Miracle Word, a word processor. Acme uses the
extensive programming capabilities of Miracle Word to develop complex
templates for its standard letters and invoices. However, it finds that
the help file supplied with Miracle Word is not sufficient for its needs,
so it has one of its staff copy parts of the help file, add some more
information, and then recompile it, replacing the original. Miracle
P/L, developer of Miracle Word, decides to sue Acme for breach of copyright
- what are its chances?
- Diddley Publishing
publishes books about widely-used software packages. It decides to commission
a book about Miracle Word, and employs a writer to write the book. The
writer takes numerous screen captures of Miracle Word in use, and uses
them to illustrate the book. Miracle P/L decides to sue Diddley for
breach of copyright of its screen designs - what are its chances?
- A part-time lecturer
at UTS photocopies an entire chapter out of a book on business law for
use in a course on technical communication. The publisher discovers
this and has its lawyers (boutique female law partnership Sue Hard and
Sue Often) write a nasty letter to the lecturer threatening legal action.
Should the lecturer:
- get on the
next plane to Majorca
- use the letter
to light his next cigar
- prostrate
himself at the publisher's reception and hope that all of their
staff walk on him on the way to work
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