Question

Software programs that allow you to legally copy files and give them away at no cost are called which of the following?

• A. Time sharing
• B. Public domain
• C. Shareware
• D. None of the above

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

Public domain

• Public-domain software is software that has been placed in the public domain: in other words, they are not protected by intellectual property laws such as copyright, trademark, or patent laws.
  
• Software in the public domain can be modified, distributed, or sold even without any attribution by anyone, but no one can ever own it.
• There are four common ways that works arrive in the public domain:

1. the copyright has expired
   
2. the copyright owner failed to follow copyright renewal rules
   
3. the copyright owner deliberately places it in the public domain, known as “dedication,” or
   
4. copyright law does not protect this type of work.