Legal & Ethical Concerns (College Board AP® Computer Science Principles): Study Guide
Intellectual property and open access
What is intellectual property?
Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, including written works, software, music, images, and videos
Material created on a computer is the intellectual property of the creator unless ownership has been transferred
The ease of digital distribution makes it simple to copy and share material, which raises legal concerns about ownership and unauthorized use
Protecting digital intellectual property
Copyright laws protect creators by giving them control over how their work is used, copied, and distributed
The use of material created by someone else without permission and presented as one's own is plagiarism and may have legal consequences
Common safeguards include licensing agreements, watermarks, and digital rights management (DRM)
Open access and attribution
Some creators choose to make their work freely available through models that enable broad access while still protecting ownership:
Creative Commons licenses allow creators to specify how their work may be used (e.g., with attribution, non-commercial, share-alike)
Open source licenses allow software code to be freely used, modified, and shared, often with the requirement that derivative works also remain open
Open access gives access to online research output free of any and all restrictions on access and free of many restrictions on use
Creative Commons, open source, and open access have all enabled broad access to digital information
Regardless of license type, attribution (crediting the original creator) is a legal and ethical requirement when using someone else's work
Approach | What it does | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
Copyright | Reserves rights to the creator by default | Most material created on a computer unless explicitly licensed otherwise |
Creative Commons | Allows specified uses with attribution | Images, articles, educational resources shared with terms attached |
Open source | Allows code to be used, modified, and shared | Software projects intended for community contribution |
Open access | Online research output freely available with few restrictions on access or use | Academic research papers published in open-access journals |
Computing ethics and social impact
How can computing innovations cause harm?
Computing innovations can cause harm to individuals through ethical, social, or political issues
Examples of potential harm include:
Spreading misinformation that influences public opinion
Enabling online harassment or stalking
Creating addictive platforms that affect mental health
Automating decisions that affect employment, healthcare, or legal outcomes
Computing innovations that raise legal and ethical concerns
Software that enables access to digital media downloads and streaming
Algorithms that include bias
Devices that continuously monitor user activity
The same innovation that helps many people can also harm others, depending on how it is used and by whom
Ethical responsibility in computing
Programmers, organizations, and users all share responsibility for considering the ethical implications of computing innovations
Ethical questions to consider when designing or using a computing innovation include:
Who benefits from this innovation, and who might be harmed?
Is the innovation used in ways that respect individual rights and privacy?
Does the innovation create or amplify existing inequalities?
The digital divide raises ethical concerns around computing (see the Bias in Computing and Digital Divide notes for detail)
Computing can play a role in social and political issues, which in turn often raises legal and ethical concerns
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Exam questions about intellectual property often test whether you can distinguish copyright (rights reserved by default) from Creative Commons or open source (rights granted under stated conditions); read the question carefully to identify which framework applies.
For the CPT, if your program uses code, images, or data from other sources, you must include proper attribution in your written response and code comments; this is both a legal requirement and a CPT scoring requirement.
Worked Example
A student finds an image online with a Creative Commons license that allows non-commercial use with attribution. They want to use the image in a project they will share on a personal blog. Which of the following correctly describes what the student must do?
(A) Pay the original creator a licensing fee
(B) Credit the original creator and only use the image for non-commercial purposes
(C) Modify the image so it no longer resembles the original
(D) Avoid using the image, as Creative Commons does not permit any reuse
[1]
Answer:
(B) Credit the original creator and only use the image for non-commercial purposes [1 mark]
Creative Commons licenses typically require attribution and may restrict commercial use; using the image on a personal blog without payment is permitted as long as both conditions are met.
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