DIRECTIVE ON THE LEGAL PROTECTION OF COMPUTER PROGRAMS
Directive on the Legal Protection of Computer Programs.Copyright. A 1991 European
Commission initiative requiring members to protect computer software by copyright rather than
by patent or some sui generis set of legal rights. • The purpose of the Directive was to harmonize
copyright laws among the members of the European Commission. It standardized the degree of
originality required for software to qualify for copyright protections. — Also termed Computer
Programs Directive; Software Directive. [Blacks Law 8th]