Prof. Dr. Thomas Hoeren Institute for Information, Telecommunications and Media Law Münster University Leonardo Campus 9 D-48149 Münster [email protected] IT Law Status: October 2010 Table of contents Bibliography (selection) .......................................................................................................... 15 Chapter One: Legal protection for computer products ....................................................... 16 I. Premeditation: The protection of ideas ............................................................................. 16 II. software protection - an overview ................................................................................... 26 1. patent protection ........................................................................................................... 26 2. title and trademark protection ...................................................................................... 30 3. motion picture protection ............................................................................................. 33 4. protection of secrets ..................................................................................................... 34 5. criminal law protection ................................................................................................. 36 6. supplementary benefit protection ................................................................................. 37 7. database protection ....................................................................................................... 38 III. copyright protection ....................................................................................................... 48 1. object of protection (Section 69a UrhG) ...................................................................... 50 2. standard of originality .................................................................................................. 57 3. copyright law and employment relationship ................................................................ 60 a) Scope of Section 69b UrhG ...................................................................................... 60 b) Distribution of rights within the team ...................................................................... 66 4. rights of the software author ......................................................................................... 68 (a) Reproduction ........................................................................................................... 68 (b) Dissemination ......................................................................................................... 71 (c) Processing ............................................................................................................... 80 d) Stand by for retrieval ............................................................................................... 81 5. barriers .......................................................................................................................... 82 a) The intended use (§ 69d Abs. 1 UrhG) .................................................................... 83 b) Backup copy ............................................................................................................. 87 (c) Test runs .................................................................................................................. 88 d) Decompilation .......................................................................................................... 89 6. protection against circumvention ................................................................................. 93 IV. The Software Infringement Case ................................................................................... 97 1. claims of the injured party ............................................................................................ 97 (a) Injunctions .............................................................................................................. 97 b) Destruction claims ................................................................................................... 98 (c) Compensation for damage ...................................................................................... 98 d) Information and accounting ................................................................................... 100 (e) Applications .......................................................................................................... 101 2. course of proceedings ................................................................................................. 103 3. costs ............................................................................................................................ 107 4. enforcement ................................................................................................................ 108 Chapter Two: Computer Contract Law ............................................................................. 110 I. Introduction: Economic considerations .......................................................................... 110 II Classification of contract types ....................................................................................... 111 1. standard software ........................................................................................................ 111 2. individual software ..................................................................................................... 113 3. the EVB-IT ................................................................................................................. 116 III. general rules for the structure of an IT contract ........................................................... 124 Chapter Three: Software license agreements ...................................................................... 125 I. Preamble ......................................................................................................................... 125 II. Main performance obligations and rights of use ........................................................... 126 2 1. CPU clauses ................................................................................................................ 127 2. transfer clauses ........................................................................................................... 129 3. LAN bans ................................................................................................................... 134 4. audit clauses ............................................................................................................... 138 6. maintenance bans ....................................................................................................... 140 5. summary ..................................................................................................................... 141 III. warranty ........................................................................................................................ 142 1. warranty in the right of purchase ................................................................................ 142 (a) Deficiency ............................................................................................................. 142 aa) Error: Computer Science versus Law ............................................................... 144 bb) Agreed quality .................................................................................................. 144 cc) Contractual use ................................................................................................. 145 (dd) Ordinary use ................................................................................................... 145 b) Error types .............................................................................................................. 146 aa) Functional deficits ............................................................................................ 146 bb) Functional deficiencies .................................................................................... 147 (cc) Capacity deficiencys/unusual response time behaviour .................................. 148 dd) Program locks .................................................................................................. 149 ee) Lack of or errors in the documentation ............................................................ 150 (ff) Public statements by the producer/dealer ........................................................ 152 gg) Assembly .......................................................................................................... 153 hh) Installation Instructions .................................................................................... 153 2. obligation to give notice of defects according to §§ 377, 381 para. 2 HGB .............. 153 3. unconditional acceptance with knowledge of the defect ............................................ 154 4. statute of limitations (§ 438 BGB) ............................................................................. 155 (a) The concept of 'delivery ........................................................................................ 156 (b) Suspension of the limitation period ...................................................................... 157 (c) Agreement on limitation periods .......................................................................... 159 5. legal