Software Piracy

Software Piracy


Software piracy is the failure of a licensed user to adhere to the
conditions of a software license or the unauthorized use or reproduction of
copyrighted software by a person or entity that has not been licensed to use the
software. Software piracy has become a household word and a household crime and
has had a great affect on the software industry.   It is a problem that can only
be solved by the choices of each individual.
The computer software industry is one of the great business success
stories of recent history, with healthy increases in both hardware and software
sales around the world.   However, software piracy threatens the industry's
economic future.   According to estimates by the U.S. Software Publisher's
Association, as much as $7.5 billion of American software may be illegally
copied and distributed annually worldwide. These copies work as well as the
originals and sell for significantly less money. Piracy is relatively easy, and
only the largest rings of distributors are usually caught. In addition, software
pirates know that they are unlikely to serve hard jail time when prisons are
overcrowded with people convicted of more serious crimes. The software industry
loses more than $15.2 billion annually worldwide due to software piracy.
Software piracy costs the industry:

                                  $482 every second
                                  $28,900 every minute
                                  $1.7 million every hour
                                  $41.6 million every day
                                  $291.5 million every week

To understand software piracy, one must get inside the mind of the
pirate.   People, who wouldn't think of sneaking merchandise out of a store or
robbing a house, regularly obtain copies of computer programs which they haven't
paid for. The pirate has a set of excuses for his actions: prices are too high;
the company doesn't provide decent support; he's only going to use the program
once... [continues]

Read full essay