Whose software is it, anyway?

Properly protecting intellectual property (IP) in the form of software is complex, and the question of whether a piece of software can be truly patented has a colourful and controversial history. Many enterprises that develop their own software do not realise that they possess assets that can create revenue. Open source software is software available in source code for which the source code and certain other rights normally reserved for copyright holders are provided under a software license that permits users to study, change and improve it.