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J277 1.6 Computer Misuse and Copyright
Part 3 of 5 · J277 1.6 Essentials
This worksheet covers the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Pupils identify legal issues in different scenarios, explain the relevant laws, and discuss ethical and financial consequences. The material is designed to support understanding of computer-related laws at a moderate level of difficulty.
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- 13 cells
- About 50 minutes
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Shared 31 Jul 2026
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Digital impacts Essentials 3: computer misuse and copyright
Two OCR laws deal with different actions:
- the Computer Misuse Act 1990 addresses unauthorised access to computer material and unauthorised acts involving computer systems
- the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 protects original creative work, including software, from uses such as unauthorised copying and distribution
The key exam skill is to identify what the person actually did. An incident can involve one Act, both Acts or neither.
Computer Misuse Act 1990
At this level, recognise these prohibited actions:
- gaining unauthorised access to computer material, such as signing into another person's account without permission
- gaining unauthorised access with the intention of committing or helping a further offence
- carrying out an unauthorised act intended to impair a computer, or being reckless about causing impairment, such as changing or deleting data or distributing malware
Permission matters. Guessing a password, using credentials found elsewhere or being technically capable of entering a system does not create authorisation. Security testing can be legitimate when the tester has clear permission and stays within its scope.
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
Copyright gives creators rights over original work such as software source code, games, music, films, images and written material. A creator can grant permission through a licence, which sets out how the work may be used.
Copying, distributing or adapting protected work without permission may infringe copyright. Do not assume that:
- something online is free to copy
- naming the creator automatically gives permission
- buying one copy gives a person the right to distribute unlimited copies
- every download is illegal
The question is whether the use is permitted by the creator, licence or law. OCR focuses on the principle rather than detailed legal exceptions.
Entering an account without permission may breach the ______. Copying and distributing protected software without permission may breach the ______. Clear ______ is needed before security testing, while a software ______ states permitted uses.- authorisation
- licence
- Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
- Computer Misuse Act
- encryption
- Data Protection Act
Which four statements are accurate? Select all that apply.
- AGuessing another user's password and opening their account can breach the Computer Misuse Act
- BCredit given to a photographer always makes copying the photograph lawful
- CUploading paid software for strangers to copy can infringe copyright
- DBuying a game always transfers its copyright to the buyer
- EAuthorised penetration testing must remain within the permission given
- FAn intruder who enters a server and copies protected source code may engage both Acts
Three incident reports
Incident A: An employee uses a colleague's password without permission to open confidential payroll files.
Incident B: A user buys a music-production application, removes its copy protection and uploads copies for other people.
Incident C: An intruder enters a game studio's server without permission, deletes project files and copies original artwork for use in another game.
Identify the action before naming the law. Avoid writing only “this is hacking” or “this is stealing”.
For each incident, name the most relevant Act or Acts and explain which action brings the incident within that law.
A needs one clear access explanation. B needs one copyright explanation. C contains both unauthorised system actions and copying of protected work.
Students type their answer here.
Law, ethics and consequences
Naming an Act is not the whole discussion. An action can also:
- expose confidential information
- cause financial loss or recovery work
- deny creators control or income
- damage trust
- interrupt a service
These consequences can support an ethical discussion, but keep them separate from what the law prohibits. “The creator loses income” explains an impact. “The work is copied without permission” identifies the copyright action.
A student finds a weakness in the school network and explores several staff folders to prove that it exists. The student did not ask for permission and does not change any files. Explain why the claim “no damage was caused, so no law can apply” is incorrect.
Focus on authorisation. You may also explain how the student could have acted responsibly.
Students type their answer here.
A person purchases one copy of a game and says, “I paid for it, so I can upload copies for everyone.” Which correction is best?
- AThe purchase normally licences use of a copy, but does not automatically grant permission to distribute further copies
- BPayment means the person owns every part of the Internet
- CUploading is allowed whenever the copies are free
- DCopyright applies only to printed books
A programmer finds source code in a public online repository. Explain two checks the programmer should make before copying it into a commercial application.
Publicly visible does not necessarily mean unrestricted. Consider the licence, creator and conditions.
Students type their answer here.
Challenge: A former employee uses an account that the company forgot to disable, downloads the customer database and copies parts of the company's application into a competing product. Analyse the legal and ethical issues.
The working password does not create permission. Consider unauthorised access, personal data, copyright and consequences for several stakeholders.
Students type their answer here.
Essentials review
Check that you can finish these sentences precisely:
- The Computer Misuse Act prohibits...
- Authorised security testing differs because...
- The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act protects...
- A licence is important because...
- One incident can involve both Acts when...
In a scenario, describe the action first: accessed, changed, impaired, copied, distributed or adapted. Then connect that action to the correct law.