Ch 3 · Software Licensing · Theory
Topic 3 of 9 in Computing Ethics & Ownership — Responsibility in Tech — 2 lessons.
The Rules of Use
You rarely "own" software — you're granted a licence setting out what you may do with it. The main categories:
Open Source Isn't "No Rules"
Open-source licences (like GPL or MIT) still impose conditions — for example, some require that if you build on the code and distribute it, you must share your changes under the same licence. "Open" means transparent and modifiable, not "do anything with no obligations."