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Software piracy refers to the unauthorized duplication
and use of computer software. Software developers
work hard to develop solid software programs.
If those applications are pirated and stolen,
the software developers will often be unable to
generate the revenue required to continue supporting
and expanding those applications. The effects
of software piracy impact the entire global economy.
The reduced revenues often divert funding from
product development, and result in less research
and less investment in marketing. In 2007, economists
indicated that software piracy cost the industry
$39.6 billion.
Software is intellectual property, and is protected
by copyright laws in most countries. Most software
licenses grant users the permission to use the
software, but the license holder does not "own"
the software -- they simply own a license to "use"
the software. Pirating software, circumventing
the copy protection, and not properly licensing
the software is illegal in most of the world.
And in most countries, it is illegal to violate
or circumvent software copyrights. Unfortunately,
due to the global nature of the Internet, it is
often difficult to enforce those copyright laws.
If the pirate or offender is located in a country
that does not respect copyright laws, it can be
difficult to enforce penalties against software
pirates.
The Downside To Using Pirated Software:
Customers who use pirated software are not without
risk. Using illegally obtained and pirated software
can often result in significant legal consequences
and fines. Additionally, pirated software may
contain trojans, viruses, and other forms of malware,
because the pirates will often modify the downloadable
files with malicious code. Software developers
will rarely support users of pirated software,
so those users will not have access to product
support or bug fixes. Using illegal software that
circumvents copy protection is not without negative
social stigma, and businesses can be publicly
embarrassed and their reputations damaged as a
result of using pirated software.
Basic Software Piracy Terminology:
Cloning - Ideas can not be copy
protected, and unfortunately some software developers
choose to "clone" other applications rather than
creating their own.
Crack - A software crack is an
illegally obtained but working version of the
software, which circumvents the software's copyright
protection. Software cracking refers to the modification
of software in order to remove encoded copy prevention.
Distribution of cracked software is generally
an illegal act of copyright infringement.
Cracker - An individual that undertakes
disabling software protection, either for fun
or financial gain.
Hack - The classic and somewhat
innocent definition of hack used to be just "a
clever workaround". The term now has a much more
negative connotation, and usually refers to working
around the copy protection of an application for
the sole purpose of creating an illegal version
of the software. While not always the case, a
hack could be a fix, or a bug workaround.
Hacker - One who hacks. The original
definition was "a clever programmer", but the
term has since come to mean someone who tries
to break into computer systems or protected software.
Hardware Locking - A method of
protecting software from duplication by locking
the software license to a specific piece of computer
hardware, such as the hard drive it is installed
on, so that it will not function on any other
computer.
KeyGen Or Key Generators - a KeyGen
(short for Key Generator) is a small program that
will generate an unauthorized but working registration
key or serial number for a piece of software.
It is typically used to circumvent copy protection
and create an illegal version of a software application.
Serials - Usually refers to illegally
obtained registration keys or "serial" numbers
that unlock a downloadable evaluation version
of a product.
Warez - Another term for a software
crack.
Types Of Software Piracy
There are a number of different types of software
piracy. The following all relate to the illegal
use of software and are various types of piracy:
1. It is illegal to use a single-licensed
version on multiple computers.
2. It is illegal to preloaded software
on computers without providing the appropriate
licenses.
3. It is illegal to use a key generator
to generate a registration key that turns an evaluation
version into a licensed version.
4. It is illegal to use a stolen credit
card to fraudulently purchase a software license.
5. It is illegal to post a licensed version
of a software product on the Internet and make
it available for downloading.
How To Report Piracy:
If you are aware of software piracy, please report
the infractions to the following agencies.
SIIA
Federation
Against Software Piracy
Canadian
Alliance Against Software Theft
Business
Software Alliance
Additional Resources:
Everything
You Need To Know About Registration Systems
Business
Software Alliance
Software
Piracy Rates By Country
AntiCracking
FAQ
What
Is Software Piracy?
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