Public domain software
Software is protected by copyright as a literary work.
The code is protected as a literary work.
Because registration is not required for protection, there is no way to tell how much software has been protected by copyright. On the other hand, since protection is automatic, you can also say that all software is protected by copyright.
In Canada software is protected as a literary work under the Copyright Act of Canada. Copyright is acquired automatically when an original work is generated, the creator is not required to register or mark the work with the copyright symbol in order to be protected.
Technology would typically be protected by patent law, with the exception of software, which can fall under both copyright and patent.
In IT, copyright most often applies to software, which can be protected by both copyright AND patent law. Most software-related copyright issues are addressed in detail in end user licensing agreements.
Software is protected by copyright (as a "literary work"), but can also receive a patent if it is exceptionally innovative.
Anything other than open source software is protected by copyright; shareware and freeware may be free, but are still protected. Software that is purely functional (e.g., assembly code to perform a basic operation) is not copyrightable. Software created by any employee of the US government is not copyrighted in the USA.
Virtually all software is protected by copyright--even Linux (Linux just has a really broad license). There is also a program called Official Copyright Software that helps creators through the process of registering their works.
... protected by the copyright laws of over 160 countries.
No. There is nothing inherently illegal in the software. It only becomes a copyright issue when the software is use to distribute protected intellectual property without permission.
USe the software program "LIMEWIRE"