The shape of the lesson
By the end of the lesson, learners can
- Why we need copyright law: Software is easy to copy perfectly and share instantly.
- Four kinds of licence: All four types are still protected by copyright.
- Justify the licence: A justify question gives a situation.
- Copyright: the creator's legal right to control copying, distribution and modification; it lets them earn and encourages creation.
- Free (FSF) and open source (OSI): source code given; may change and redistribute; copyleft keeps changes free.
- Shareware: free trial, then pay; no source code. Commercial: pay for a licence; no source code; no copying.
- Justify: match a feature of the licence to a need in the scenario.
One picture every idea returns to
Copyright is the legal right of the creator of an original work, including a computer program, to control who may copy, distribute and modify it. A software licence is the agreement that states what a user is allowed to do with the software. Free software (Free Software Foundation) and open source software (Open Source Initiative) give users the source code and let them change and share it. Shareware can be tried free for a limited time or with limited features, then must be paid for. Commercial software must be bought, and the source code is kept secret.
Forty-five minutes, phase by phase
| Time | Phase | What happens in the room | Grouping |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 5 min | Hook: predict | Open with the question in the title, Who owns the code?. Copying a program takes a second and costs nothing, yet writing it may have taken years. Put the figure on the board: it is the one picture every idea in the lesson returns to. | Whole class, then pairs |
| 5 to 13 min | Teach and check: Why we need copyright law | Software is easy to copy perfectly and share instantly. | Whole class, then pairs |
| 13 to 21 min | Teach and check: Four kinds of licence | All four types are still protected by copyright. Your turn: State two differences between open source software and commercial software. | Pairs |
| 21 to 30 min | Teach and check: Justify the licence | A justify question gives a situation. Model the worked example A company's secret method on the board, one line at a time. | Frayer Model |
| 30 to 36 min | Check | The four Stage 1 questions from the student lesson, answered on mini whiteboards or by show of fingers. Re-teach the one most get wrong. | Individual, then whole class |
| 36 to 43 min | Plenary | The exam-style questions from Stage 2, one at a time: thirty seconds alone, then a random call. The feedback lines in the key give the examiner's wording. | Individual, random call |
| 43 to 45 min | Exit and homework | Set the worksheet below (6 questions, 18 marks). Learners self-assess against the objectives before they leave. | Individual |
Protect the parts that carry the learning
The sequence carries about fifty minutes of material, so the lab is driven by one student while the class predicts rather than explored freely. Times are a guide.
Protected: the check at 30 minutes. It is the only individual read on whether the key idea landed, and it is not cut.
Cut first if the build overruns: the last check in Justify the licence, never the check or the plenary.
In a 60 minute block: run worksheet questions 1 to 3 in class as a Rally Coach set and model both the hardest worked example and its check live.
Frayer Model
Pairs fill a four-box grid for the key term: definition, characteristics, examples and non-examples. The non-examples box is where the misconceptions surface, so give it the most time.
The full structure, with its variations and the other twelve, is on the cooperative-learning page.
What to head off, and how
| Trap learners fall into | Teaching move that pre-empts it |
|---|---|
| Buying software does not mean you own the program. | You own a licence to use it under its terms; the copyright stays with the creator. |
| "Open source is free so it is better" is not a justification. | Say what the person in the scenario needs (income, secrecy, collaboration, low cost) and which feature of the licence meets that need. |
Copyright and software licensing: worksheet
6 questions, 18 marks. Written in the style of the papers; no past paper question is reproduced.
Explain why copyright legislation is needed for computer software.
Describe what is meant by shareware.
Compare software released under a Free Software Foundation licence with commercial software.
A games company has developed a new game engine. It wants to earn money from the engine and does not want rival companies to see how it works. Identify the most suitable type of licence and justify your choice.
A university research team writes software to analyse climate data. They want other scientists around the world to check their methods and add improvements. Recommend a type of licence and justify it.
A student says: "Free software means software you do not have to pay for." Explain why this statement is not accurate.
Answer key and marking notes
- Software can be copied easily, perfectly and at almost no cost.
- Without protection, others could copy, sell or claim the work as their own.
- Copyright lets the creator control copies and earn from the work, which encourages investment in new software.
- Software that is free to use for a trial period or with limited features.
- The user must pay to continue using it or to get the full version; the source code is not provided.
- Free software: the source code is provided; commercial: it is not.
- Free software can be modified; commercial software cannot be changed by the user.
- Free software can be copied and redistributed; commercial software cannot be copied without a licence.
- Commercial software is paid for per licence; free software is usually obtained without a licence fee (though it may be sold).
- Commercial (proprietary) licence.
- Customers must pay for a licence, so the company earns money to cover development.
- The source code is not released, so rivals cannot see how the engine works.
- The licence forbids copying, modifying and redistributing the engine.
- A free software (FSF) or open source (OSI) licence.
- The source code is available, so other scientists can check exactly how the analysis works.
- Others may modify and redistribute it, so improvements can be shared (copyleft keeps the improvements free).
- In the FSF sense, free refers to freedom: to run, study, change and redistribute the software.
- Free software may be sold for a price, and some software that costs nothing (such as freeware) does not give these freedoms.
6 multiple-choice questions on this lesson
From the topic question bank. Assign them in the app for a marked score in your gradebook, or run the topic as a class game.
Why is copyright legislation needed for computer software?
- ASoftware can be copied perfectly at almost no cost, so the law lets creators control copying and earn from their work
- BWithout it, software could not legally be sold to anyone at all
- CIt makes sure all software is tested before it is released to the public
- DIt gives every user who buys a program the right to change and resell it
Which statement describes shareware?
- ASoftware that can be tried free for a limited time or with limited features, then must be paid for to keep using
- BSoftware whose source code is provided so that users can change and share it
- CSoftware that must be paid for before use, with the source code kept secret
- DSoftware that is free to use for ever, with all features, and comes with its source code
A company has spent two years developing route-planning software using a method no competitor has. It wants to earn money from it and keep the method secret. Which licence is most suitable?
- ACommercial
- BOpen source
- CFree software (GNU GPL)
- DShareware with the source code included
A student says: "Free software means software you do not have to pay for." Why is this not accurate?
- A"Free" refers to the user's freedom to run, study, change and share the software; free software may still be sold
- BFree software always has to be paid for, but the source code is provided after payment
- CFree software is only free for a trial period, after which it must be paid for
- DFree software is free of charge but its source code must be kept secret
Students write an app to help charities track volunteers. They want any charity to use it at no cost, other programmers to improve it, and every improved version to stay free in the same way. Which licence best meets all three needs?
- AA free software copyleft licence such as the GNU GPL
- BA permissive open source licence such as MIT
- CShareware with a 30-day trial
- DA commercial site licence for each charity
A user pays for a single-user commercial licence for a photo-editing program. Which action is allowed?
- AUsing the program under the terms of the licence, for example on the number of computers it covers
- BMaking copies to sell to friends, because the user now owns the program
- CChanging the program's source code to add new features
- DInstalling it on every computer in a school, because one licence covers any organisation
Quiz key
Copyright lets the creator control copying, distribution and modification, so developers can recover their costs and are encouraged to create. Software can be sold under a licence regardless; the law protects the seller's rights. Copyright says nothing about testing. Buying software gives a licence to use it, not a right to change and resell it.
Shareware is a trial: free for a period or with features disabled, after which the user pays. Providing source code for changing and sharing describes free or open source software. Paying first with secret source code describes commercial software. Shareware does not provide the source code.
A commercial licence lets the company charge each customer and keeps the source code secret, protecting its advantage. Open source and free software licences give out the source code, revealing the method. Including the source code with shareware would also reveal the method.
Free software gives the four freedoms: to run, study and change, give away copies, and share changed versions; it can be sold, but the buyer then has those freedoms. Free software is often available at no cost, so it does not always have to be paid for. A trial period describes shareware. Free software always provides its source code.
A copyleft licence such as the GPL provides the source code, allows changes and sharing, and requires changed versions to be released under the same licence, so they stay free. A permissive licence such as MIT also gives the source code, but lets others put improved versions into closed products, so the third need is not met. Shareware and commercial licences charge for use and hide the source code.
The buyer owns a licence to use the software on its terms; copyright stays with the creator. Copying to sell is piracy and illegal. The source code of commercial software is not provided and may not be changed. A whole organisation needs a site licence; a single-user licence does not cover every computer.
Slides for this lesson
A projectable deck for every pack is on the way. Until then, present the student lesson full screen: its sections, figure and lab tabs follow the same order as the plan above.