How to protect your computer code?

On 31/07/2023

Copyright is an essential concept in the field of intellectual property. In the IT domain, the source code of a software is regarded as a creation of the mind protected by copyright. This means that the author of the code has both economic and moral rights over their work, such as the right to exploit, the right to modify, the prohibition right, and the moral right.

In France, copyright legislation for software is codified in the Intellectual Property Code. The rights granted to French software authors are also recognized for foreigners, provided that the law in their country of origin offers similar protection to software created by French nationals or by individuals domiciled in France.

The Intellectual Property Code also includes measures to protect the rights of copyright holders for software, such as the ability to order penalties to prevent the illegal distribution of works or objects protected by literary and artistic property rights. It's also possible to seek the cessation of a copyright infringement caused by the content of an online communication service.

It is important to note that the economic rights for software and their documentation created within the framework of professional assignments or hosting in a structure revert to the hosting structure, which alone is authorized to exercise them.

How to protect your rights?

To protect your rights and your company, it's crucial to regularly deposit your code with a third party in order to obtain proof of precedence.

You can deposit it on Ziplo, either through the interface with a zip folder or directly from Github with our option available with a Ziplo+ account.

To learn more, our webinar addressing these questions can be revisited here."