Computer Software Protection Act of 1984 Law and Legal Definition
p>Computer Software Protection Act of 1984 is a U.S. federal statute amending the Copyright Act of 1976. The purpose of the Act is to protect copyrighted computer programs against illegal copying. The Act is codified at 17 USCS § 109. According to the Act, unless authorized by owner of copyright in a computer program, no person in possession of a particular copy of a computer program (including any tape, disk, or other medium embodying such program), may for the purposes of direct or indirect commercial advantage, dispose of, or authorize the disposal of, the possession of that computer program by rental, lease, or lending, or by any other act or practice in the nature of rental, lease, or lending. However, the transfer of possession of a lawfully made copy of a computer program by a nonprofit educational institution to another nonprofit educational institution or to faculty, staff, and students does not constitute rental, lease, or lending for direct or indirect commercial purposes.
