Controls Over Copyrighted Computer Software

Abstract

Copyrighted computer software programs are used on as many as 377,500 microcomputers throughout the DoD. DoD does not maintain records on the number of software programs on hand, but the proliferation of computers within DoD suggests that millions of software programs may be in use. Federal copyright law grants copyright owners exclusive rights to duplicate or distribute the programs. Although software vendors attempt to control unauthorized use of their products through licensing agreements that invoke the protection available under copyright statutes, compliance with licensing agreements relies on the integrity of the software user. The audit objective was to determine whether policies and procedures for controlling and using computer software programs within the DOD were adequate to ensure compliance with licensing agreements and copyrights. We also evaluated applicable internal controls.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 19, 1993
Accession Number
ADA377198

Entities

People

  • Adrienne Brown
  • Harrell D. Spoons
  • John Darrell Van Horn
  • Marvin L. Peek
  • William F. Thomas

Organizations

  • Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Defense

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Force Facilities
  • Airlift Operations
  • Computer Programs
  • Computers
  • Congress
  • Data Processing
  • Data Processing Equipment
  • Department Of Defense
  • Information Systems
  • Law
  • Local Area Networks
  • Military Science
  • Processing Equipment
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Training
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

Readers

  • Computer Science.
  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Software Engineering.