問11
頻出度★★★
著作者に断ることなく, コピーや改変を自由に行うことのできる無料のソフトウェアはどれか。
平成24年度 春期 ITパスポート試験 問11
ストラテジ系法務 › 知的財産権
This question's explanation and your answers so far.
解説
問 11
Incorrectア
Shareware is software that you first use on a trial basis and then pay a set fee for if you like it and keep using it. It does not satisfy the condition of being free of charge, and because the author keeps the copyright, you cannot freely copy or modify it either.
Incorrectイ
Packaged software is software developed as a finished product for a specific type of business or purpose and sold commercially in stores or by download. You buy it for a price, the developer keeps the copyright, and the license agreement normally forbids copying and modification outright, so it satisfies none of the conditions.
- ウ
正解 The correct answer is (ウ) Public Domain Software (PDS). Public domain means “owned by the public”: the copyright has been abandoned, or its term of protection has expired and the copyright no longer exists, so the work has become the shared property of society as a whole. PDS is software placed in that state, so anyone may freely copy, modify, and redistribute it without obtaining permission from the author (the rights holder), and no payment is required either. PDS is the only one that satisfies all three conditions listed in the question: no need to ask the author, free to copy and modify, and free of charge. Note that freeware, which shares only the point of being usable at no cost, is software distributed free of charge while the author keeps the copyright; because conditions set by the author are attached to modifying and redistributing it, it is distinguished from PDS.
Incorrectエ
Utility software is a category name based on purpose: software that provides functions supporting the use of a computer, such as file compression and decompression, virus protection, and disk optimization. Some utilities are paid and some are free, and the category has nothing to do with how copyright is handled, so it cannot be the answer to the form of rights that this question asks about.
ここがポイント
- Public Domain Software (PDS) = software whose copyright has been abandoned or has expired, so that it belongs to the public. Anyone may copy, modify, and redistribute it with no permission and no payment. This is exactly the point that clearly separates it from freeware, which is distributed free of charge while the author keeps the copyright.
- Software is classified along two axes: by price and form of rights (PDS, freeware, shareware, commercial packaged software), and by purpose and function (utilities, applications, OS). Not confusing the two is what this question is testing.
用語