Legal Protection of a Computer Program

Computer programs make up a large part of assets of modern companies. Therefore, legal protection of computer programs is of great importance for supporting the creation and development of start-ups and technology companies in the Czech Republic. The legislator must take into account the special nature of computer programs and balance the interests of all actors. The aim of this thesis is to analyse the current state of legal regulations of computer programs in the Czech Republic, in particular copyright and patent protection. Furthermore, the thesis describes other valid methods of legal protection of computer programs (unfair competition, administrative law, criminal law) and influential alternative forms of protection that have emerged as a solution to the problem of the special nature of computer programs (WIPO sui generis protection, model software petite patent, Manifesto model, utility model). At the end of the analytical part, the thesis points out the types of computer programs that differ in some essential features (artificial intelligence, computer game, website). The synthetic part compares and comments on the various forms of legal protection of computer programs in force and alternative forms in terms of applicability under the Czech legal system, duration of protection, subject..