source code
source code. Copyright. The nonmachine language used by a computer programmer to create a program. • If it is not included with the software sold to the public, source code is protected by trade-secret laws as well as copyright and patent laws. Source code may be deposited with the U.S. Copyright Office, but because of the need to protect a trade secret, and because a skilled programmer could figure out how to duplicate the source code’s functions without necessarily copying the code, strategic parts may be blacked out. Cf. OBJECT CODE.
