In world legal practice, an object of intellectual property - a computer program refers to controversial objects, since in different countries this protection is provided in accordance with their laws, which differ in different countries.
In most countries, where registration of Computer Programs is provided, they are protected, like objects of copyright.
At the same time, since copyright protection extends only to the source code, the functions of the software remain unprotected.
As a result, to protect developments in the field of software, patenting of functions or algorithms is used, describing them using hardware or device elements in which these functions or algorithms are applied.
Thus, a part of a Computer Program can be protected as an object of copyright, and another part as an Invention.
Among the countries that are advanced in terms of registration of Computer Programs, China and the United States should be highlighted.
Registration of copyright for a computer program in the US Copyright Office is the most common and universal way of obtaining international protection for a computer program, due to the fact that the certificate issued by the Bureau is a generally recognized world analogue of an international copyright registration.
Exclusive rights to computer programs and databases, as objects of copyright, do not have territorial restrictions. This postulate is enshrined in the Universal Copyright Convention.
