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Copyright
Memorandum
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[Date]
M E M O R A N D U M
TO: [Name of Author]
FROM: Georgia K. Harper
SUBJECT: Computer Software Entitled: "[ ]" - Copyright Registration For Software Containing Trade Secrets
In order to complete the copyright registration process, we must submit a printed copy of the source code for the above-referenced software to the Copyright Office. The source code will be deposited with the Library of Congress and become a part of its software collection, so it will be available to anyone who wants to see it. Because this source code listing contains information that, if revealed publicly, could jeopardize the potential commercial value of the software, the Copyright Office's special "deposit" rules are available to us to help safeguard the trade secrets that are contained in the software. There are several choices for preparing the source code for deposit, depending on the length of the code and how much of it requires protection. Please prepare your deposit in accordance with the following deposit guidelines. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call.
1. Incorporate the attached trade secrets copyright notice into the first page of the source code.
2. If the printed source code is less than 50 pages long, all of it must be submitted, with trade secrets marked out. You may use a marks-a-lot type marker to line out the parts of the code you do not want anyone to see or you may leave out the lines entirely, indicating in some manner that there has been a deletion. Such marked out or deleted sections, however, cannot exceed half of the total number of lines of code. This requirement is necessary in order for the deposit to sufficiently "identify" the copyrighted source code.
3. If the total number of pages is more than 50, you can take advantage of less burdensome deposit requirements. For example, if the source code is longer than 50 pages, you may arrange it so that no secrets are contained in the first 10 and last 10 pages, and submit those 20 pages, free of deletions, as the entire deposit.1
4. If you cannot arrange the code in such a way as to take advantage of the "first and last 10 pages" rule, and must mark out or delete some lines of code at the beginning and/or ending of the listing, you must submit the first 25 and last 25 pages of code with sensitive lines marked out or deleted. But, again, the total amount marked out or deleted may not exceed half the total number of lines submitted.
Please send a copy of any user's manual that you would like to be made a part of this registration application. If the user's manual contains any trade secret material, you must let me know so that I can submit it in proper form.
GKH:db
Attachment
1 If the program is really long, it is advisable to submit a few 5 page "chunks" of code from the middle. These pages, like the first and last 10 pages, cannot contain any deletions.
SOFTWARE CONTAINING TRADE SECRETS
Copyright 19[ ] The University of Texas [ ] . All rights reserved.
This software and documentation constitute an unpublished work and contain valuable trade secrets and proprietary information belonging to University. None of the foregoing material may be copied, duplicated or disclosed without the express written permission of University. UNIVERSITY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES CONCERNING THIS SOFTWARE AND DOCUMENTATION, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND WARRANTIES OF PERFORMANCE, AND ANY WARRANTY THAT MIGHT OTHERWISE ARISE FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE. NO WARRANTY IS EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WITH RESPECT TO THE USE OF THE SOFTWARE OR DOCUMENTATION. Under no circumstances shall University be liable for incidental, special, indirect, direct or consequential damages or loss of profits, interruption of business, or related expenses which may arise from use of software or documentation, including but not limited to those resulting from defects in software and/or documentation, or loss or inaccuracy of data of any kind.
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