Method, system and program product for determining java software code plagiarism and infringement

• US 20060005166A1
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Stading, Tyron Jerrod, Casey, Margot Bruce, Atkin, Steven Edward
• Granted Patent: US 7,493,596 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services

Abstract

An analysis tool extracts class data from Java objects within a potential plagiarizing Java program and the original Java program, and then compares classes common to the potential plagiarizing program and the original across various performance metrics. Similarities disclosed by the analysis tool are output for user or programmatic comparison of the matches between the potentially plagiarizing Java program byte code and the original program'"'"'s byte code.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating Java software to determine similarity with other Java software, the method comprising the steps of:

extracting class data from a software program;

extracting class data from an original software program;

determining class data of the software program matching the class data from the original software program;

outputting the comparison as a function of class data; and

determining a similarity of the software program to the original software program based on the comparison output.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the class data includes method signatures, byte codes and byte arguments.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the software programs are determined to be similar according to user input based on the comparison output.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the software programs are determined to be similar according to statistical analysis based on the comparison output.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of extracting class data from Java objects in the software program.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the class data is taken directly from a binary class file for an object in the software program.

7. A system for evaluating Java software to determine similarity with other Java software comprising:

means for extracting class data from a software program;

means for extracting class data from an original software program;

means for determining class data of the software program matching the class data from the original software program;

means for outputting the comparison as a function of class data; and

means for determining a similarity of the software program to the original software program based on the comparison output.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the class data includes method signatures, byte codes and byte arguments.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the software programs are determined to be similar according to user input based on the comparison output.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein the software programs are determined to be similar according to statistical analysis based on the comparison output.

11. The system according to claim 7, further comprising means for extracting class data from Java objects in the software program.

12. The system according to claim 7, wherein the class data is taken directly from a binary class file for an object in the software program.

13. An article of manufacture comprising machine-readable medium including program logic embedded therein for evaluating Java software to determine similarity with other Java software that causes control circuitry in a data processing system to perform the steps of:

extracting class data from a software program;

extracting class data from an original software program;

determining class data of the software program matching the class data from the original software program;

outputting the comparison as a function of class data; and

determining a similarity of the software program to the original software program based on the comparison output.

14. The article of manufacture according to claim 13, wherein the class data includes method signatures, byte codes and byte arguments.

15. The article of manufacture according to claim 13, wherein the software programs are determined to be similar according to user input based on the comparison output.

16. The article of manufacture according to claim 13, wherein the software programs are determined to be similar according to statistical analysis based on the comparison output.

17. The article of manufacture according to claim 13, further comprising the step of extracting class data from Java objects in the software program.

18. The article of manufacture according to claim 13, wherein the class data is taken directly from a binary class file for an object in the software program.