The act of uploading and downloading software is illegal. In society today, Internet users are obtaining millions of dollars in software illegally. Piracy includes the illegal copying of programs, counterfeiting and distributing software, and even sharing a program with a friend. Businesses worldwide, such as Microsoft, have the largest amount of pirated software on the market. Most large-scale companies aren't being affected by software piracy because home users only commit piracy. Businesses require separate licences for each piece of software on every computer. There are also organizations responsible for the regular checking of licences owned by businesses and businesses that take the chance of not being caught are under severe risk because they are violating copyright laws.
What is Piracy?.
"Software piracy is the illegal distribution and/or reproduction of software applications for business or personal use. Whether software piracy is deliberate or not, it is still illegal and punishable by law."(Unknown2).
When a user purchases a software application, it does not belong to them. When an application is bought, the user is issued a licence to use the software on a single computer, but this must only remain on that computer, no copies can be made of the software and it cannot be passed onto other machines or users. Under most licence agreements, backups of the software cannot even be made as an attempt to prevent illegal copies being made of the disc. Piracy is easy committed world-wide, and in most cases users do not even realize that they are guilty. Many people believe that if one user actually bought the software, it is reasonable for their friend to also have a copy.
Types of Piracy:.
There are three main types of piracy: Licensed user duplication for unlicensed users, Illegal Internet distribution, and distributing specialized education versions to unauthorized markets. Licensed user duplication for unlicensed users occurs when one user copies a piece of software or does not buy the appropriate number of licences.
