ETHICS

AND
OWNERSHIP
 Ethics

• Ethics is the field of moral science

• Ethics are the moral principles by which any person is

guided

• Ethics are the rules of conduct recognized in a

particular profession or area of human life

 The ACM/IEEE Software Engineering
Code of Ethics
◦ The 8 principles put forth by The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) are
◦ PUBLIC - Software engineers shall act consistently with the public interest.

◦ CLIENT AND EMPLOYER - Software engineers shall act in a manner that is in the best interests of their client
and employer consistent with the public interest.

◦ PRODUCT - Software engineers shall ensure that their products and related modifications meet the highest
professional standards possible.

◦ JUDGMENT - Software engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their professional judgment.
◦ MANAGEMENT - Software engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an ethical

approach to the management of software development and maintenance.

◦ PROFESSION - Software engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profession consistent with

the public interest.

◦ COLLEAGUES - Software engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.

◦ SELF - Software engineers shall participate in lifelong learning regarding the practice of their profession and shall

promote an ethical approach to the practice of the profession.

For detail information : https://ethics.acm.org/code-of-ethics/software-engineering-code/

◦ Examination of some of the clauses soon makes it clear that many do not contain specific reference to software
engineering but rather, relate to proper behavior for any group of professionals. This can be illustrated by the
following examples:

◦ 2.03 Use the property of a client or employer only in ways properly authorized, and with the client's or employer's
knowledge and consent.

◦ 5.04 Assign work only after taking into account appropriate contributions of education and experience tempered
with a desire to further that education and experience.

◦ 5.05 Ensure realistic quantitative estimates of cost, scheduling, personnel, quality and outcomes on any project on
which they work or propose to work, and provide an uncertainty assessment of these estimates.

◦ 6.06 Obey all laws governing their work, unless, in exception al circumstances, such compliance is inconsistent
with the public interest.
• The health, safety and welfare of the public
• The public interest
• The public good
• The public concern
 Ownership and Copyright
◦ Copyright is the formal recognition of ownership.
◦ If an individual create and publishes some work that has an element of originalty, the individual becomes owner and
can therefore claim originality
◦ Copyright cannot be applied to an idea and also cant be applied to a component of published work
◦ Copyright can apply to any of:
◦ A literary work
◦ A musical composition
◦ A film
◦ A work of art
◦ A computer program
❑ Typical copyright legislation will include:

◦ a requirement for registration recording the date of creation of the work

◦ a defined period when copyright will apply

◦ a policy to be applied if an individual holding copyright dies

◦ an agreed method for indicating the copyright, for example the use of the © symbol.
 SOFTWARE LICENSING
◦ 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 and protections if the software or its use infringes on the intellectual property rights of others.
◦ Software licenses typically are either
◦ proprietary,
◦ free or open source, the distinguishing feature being the terms under which users may redistribute or copy the software for
future development or use.
◦ Proprietary software, also known as non-free software, or closed-source software or Commercial software,

is computer software for which the software's publisher or another person retains intellectual property rights—

usually copyright of the source code, but sometimes patent rights

◦ Open-source software (OSS) is a type of computer software in which source code is released under a license in

which the copyright holder grants users the rights to use, study, change, and distribute the software to anyone and

for any purpose.

◦ Shareware is commercial software that is distributed free to users, eventually either requiring or

encouraging users to pay for the continued support of the software.

◦ Commercial software

◦ Commercial software almost always has to be paid for but there are a number of different options that might be available:

◦ A fee is paid for each individual copy of the software.

◦ A company might have the option of buying a site license which allows a defined number of copies to be running at any

one time.

◦ Special rates might be available for educational use.

◦ Earlier versions or limited versions might be offered free or at reduced price.

◦ Open or free licensing
◦ For open licensing there are two major operations under way. Both are global non-profit organizations .

◦ The Open Source Initiative makes open source software, including the source code, available for free. The aim is for collaborative
development of software to take place. The user of the software is free to use it, modify it, copy it or distribute it according to need.

◦ The Free Software Foundation has similar objectives but has also incorporated what it has called 'copyleft'. This is the condition
that if the software is modified the source code for the modified version must be made available under the same conditions of
usage.

◦ The two organizations are not in competition but there are some subtle differences in their philosophy. There is a different raft of
products made available by each of them.

◦ Both these organizations offer free products. Another form of free software is termed freeware. This is software t hat is distributed
for free but without the source code.

◦ Shareware licensing
◦ Shareware is commercial software which is made available on a trial basis. It might be a limited version of a full package or free to
use for a trial period. A beta test version of new software might be considered to come in the shareware category.