In 1993 worldwide illegal copying of domestic and international software cost.
5 billion to the software industry, with a loss of $2.2 billion in the United States.
alone. Estimates show that over 40 percent of U.S. software company revenues are.
generated overseas, yet nearly 85 percent of the software industry's piracy losses.
occurred outside of the United States borders. The Software Publishers Association.
indicated that approximately 35 percent of the business software in the United.
States was obtained illegally, which 30 percent of the piracy occurs in corporate.
settings. In a corporate setting or business, every computer must have its own set.
of original software and the appropriate number of manuals. It is illegal for a.
corporation or business to purchase a single set of original software and then load.
that software onto more than one computer, or lend, copy or distribute software for.
any reason without the prior written consent of the software manufacturer. Many.
software managers are concerned with the legal compliance, along with asset.
management and costs at their organizations. Many firms involve their legal .
departments and human resources in regards to software distribution .
and licensing. .
Information can qualify to be property in two ways; patent law and copyright.
laws which are creations of federal statutes, pursuant to Constitutional grant of.
legislative authority. In order for the government to prosecute the unauthorized.
copying of computerized information as theft, it must first rely on other theories of .
information-as-property. Trade secret laws are created by state law, and most.
jurisdictions have laws that criminalize the violations of a trade-secret holder's.
rights in the secret. The definition of a trade secret varies somewhat from state to.
state, but commonly have the same elements. For example, the information must.
be secret, not of public knowledge or of general knowledge in the trade or.