Piracy
Piracy is the unauthorized copying, counterfeiting or distribution of software. Piracy is essentially stealing someone else's intellectual property. The five most common types of software piracy are end user piracy, client-server overuse, Internet piracy, hard disk loading, and software counterfeiting.
End User Piracy occurs when an employee of a company reproduces software without the proper authorization. End User Piracy can be done in several different ways:
. Using one licensed copy to install a program on multiple computers
. Copying disks for installation and distribution
. Taking advantage of upgrade offers without having a legal copy of the version to be
upgraded
. Acquiring academic or other restricted or non-retail software without a license for
commercial use
. Swapping disks in or outside the workplace [6]
Client-Server overuse occurs when too many employees on a network are using a central copy of a program at the same time. When using a program in this way, it must be stated in the license. By having more employees using the software than stated in the license, is defined as overuse.
Internet Piracy occurs when software is downloaded from the Internet. Although the product was acquired through the Internet, the same rules apply as if it were bought in a store. Internet Piracy can be done in several different ways:
. Pirate websites that make software available for free download or in exchange for
uploaded programs
. Internet auction sites that offer counterfeit, out-of-channel, infringing copyright
software
. Peer-to-Peer networks that enable unauthorized transfer of copyrighted programs. [6]
Hard-Disk Loading occurs when a business w...
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...chelle, "China on Pirates: Blow 'Em Down," Wired Online Magazine, October
17, 2001. <http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,47617,00.html>
[6] Business Software Alliance, "Types of Piracy, " Business Software Alliance, 2004.
<http://www.bsa.org/usa/antipiracy/Types-of-Piracy.cfm>
[7] Copyright Law of the United States of America, US Copyright Office.
<http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#102>
[8] Travel Pictures. <http://www.cs.unm.edu/~dlchao/travel/>
[9] Business Software Alliance, "Sixth Annual BSA Global Software Piracy Study,"
Business Software Alliance, June 2000. <http://global.bsa.org/resources/2001-05-
21.55.pdf>
[10] The Complete Reference to the Web Sites of China Law,
<http://www.chinasite.com/Law.html>
[11] Markkula Center for Applied Ethics,<http://www.scu.edu/ethics/>
Sea robbers: These pirates were not faithful to any government and roamed in the open seas.
During the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries, piracy was rampant in the Atlantic, specifically in the West Indies. Piracy has existed since the earliest days of ocean travel, for a range of personal and economic reasons. However, one of the major reasons why piracy was wide spread and rampant in the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries was Great Britain’s endorsement and usage of piracy as an asset; in wars fought in the New World. Great Britain with its expanding power and conflicts with other nations would make piracy a lifestyle and lay down the foundation for the Golden Age of Piracy and eventually bring what it created to a screeching halt.
It is first beneficial to know the definition of piracy. Piracy has been characterized multiple ways from multiple disciplines. For the purpose of this paper, I will apply the definition of piracy from the 1982 United ...
Why do people pirate software? The obvious answer is: people want to use the software, but not pay for it. However, when we change the question slightly, to: “Why do people steal source code?” A variety of interesting answers can pop up. Possibly, the thief wants to modify the code, make copies of it, and proceed to sell it as his own creation -- for a profit. Or, perhaps the perpetrator is a raging open source advocate and he simply wants to examine the stolen code to improve his programming skills. As harmless as the latter may sound, it is still a clearly defined crime in virtually every hi-tech country in the world.1
A Worldwide Problem Software piracy is defined as the illegal copying of software for commercial or personal gain. Software companies have tried many methods to prevent piracy, with varying degrees of success. Several agencies like the Software Publishers Association and the Business Software Alliance have been formed to combat both worldwide and domestic piracy. Software piracy is an unresolved, worldwide problem, costing millions of dollars in lost revenue. Software companies have used many different copy protection schemes. The most annoying form of copy protection is the use of a key disk. This type of copy protection requires the user to insert the original disk every time the program is run. It can be quite difficult to keep up with disks that are years old. The most common technique of copy protection requires the user to look up a word or phrase in the program's manual. This method is less annoying than other forms of copy protection, but it can be a nuisance having to locate the manual every time. Software pirates usually have no trouble "cracking" the program, which permanently removes the copy protection. After the invention of CD-ROM, which until lately was uncopyable, most software companies stopped placing copy protection in their programs. Instead, the companies are trying new methods of disc impression. 3M recently developed a new technology of disc impression which allows companies to imprint an image on the read side of a CD-ROM. This technology would not prevent pirates from copying the CD, but it would make a "bootleg" copy differ from the original and make the copy traceable by law enforcement officials (Estes 89). Sometimes, when a person uses a pirated program, there is a "virus" attached to the program. Viruses are self-replicating programs that, when activated, can damage a computer. These viruses are most commonly found on pirated computer games, placed there by some malignant computer programmer. In his January 1993 article, Chris O' Malley points out that if piracy was wiped out viruses would eventually disappear (O' Malley 60). There are ways that a thrifty consumer can save money on software without resorting to piracy. Computer companies often offer discounts on new software if a person has previously purchased an earlier version of the software. Competition between companies also drives prices low and keeps the number of pirated copies down (Morgan 45). People eventually tire or outgrow their software and decide to sell it.
The Golden Age of Piracy began around 1650, and ended around 1730. Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea, but can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the criminal. The term has been used throughout history to refer to raids across land borders by non-state agents. A pirate is one who commits robberies at sea, usually without being allotted to do so by any particular nation. The usual crime for piracy can include being hung, or publically executed. Some of the most famous pirates who were killed either because of piracy, or because of natural causes, are Barbarossa, Stede Bonnet, Anne Bonney, Sir Francis Drake, Captain Greaves, William Kidd, Jean Laffite, Sir Henry Morgan, Mary Read, and Giovanni da Verrazano.
The protection of trade in general has always been considered as essential to the defense of the commonwealth, and, upon that account, a necessary part of the duty of the executive power.
Piracy is a form of theft. Specifically, it refers to the unauthorized copying or use of intellectual property. Intellectual property is knowledge or expression that is owned by someone. There are three major types of intellectual property: 1) creative works, including music, written material, movies, and software, which are protected by copyright law; 2) inventions, which are protected by patent law; and 3) brand-name products, which are protected by trademarks. Many of the issues surrounding piracy have to do with the difference between intellectual property and physical property. A CD, for example, is a piece of physical property, but the songs on the CD are intellectual property. A customer in a record store can purchase a CD, but someone else still owns, or more precisely, has the copyright to the songs on the CD.
copyrighted software by a person or entity that has not been licensed to use the
and distributing it or installing more than one copy of one piece of software on
Internet piracy is not a victimless crime. Piracy is a term used to describe the illegal downloading of music, movies, games, and even software online. Although many people don’t feel that piracy is a crime that affects anybody, it really does. People pirate stuff online because it is free and does not require one to run to a store to get their product. People that pirate these things don’t think of the repercussions that go along with it. You can have to serve up to 10 years in prison, and pay a fine of $250,000.
In today’s technological age and consumer-driven economy, there is no doubt that media piracy and file sharing are in demand and makes a big business. Not only the so called “bootlegged” materials cost less, but most of it also managed to completely imitate the quality of the original materials. It is much easier to people to download movies or music online or buy bootlegged DVDs for 5 dollars than to watch the movie in theaters or pay for the whole CD when there is only one song that the person likes. People know about the possible consequences of these actions, but they do not have a choice especially in these times of economy recession, plus everyone nowadays is doing it, so it would not be considered such a big deal at all if they illegally download or purchase copyright materials. On the other hand if everyone is doing it, why there are still some people getting caught? Not that they should not be punished, but being put into jail and paying a fine that is ridiculously impossible to pay are just practically harsh. Maybe if those people are business tycoons of counterfeit materials, but the fact that most of those people getting caught are just ordinary people trying to be practical and doing what the rest of the world is doing which is doing these “illegal” downloading or purchasing bootlegged movies and music. The government and the entertainment industries are using ordinary people as scapegoats and have been doing draconian methods in moms, children and maybe even old people by suing them for downloading or sharing pirated materials for free, because of the fact that they are having a hard time pursuing the big time “master minds,” who are making a profit out of someone else’s work.
All around the world people connected to the internet are downloading free digital content through P2P file sharing software.
With the popularity of the Internet, sales for CDs, DVDs, Movies, and many other products have increased. Along with the increase of sales has brought forth an ever increasing problem of illegal media being downloaded. Programs such as Bittorent, Kazaa, and other direct-connect networking programs have allowed the transferring of such illegal media. Downloading song files from the Internet over a free peer to peer network is the moral equivalent of shoplifting music CDs from the local mall.
Whenever you download any copyrighted materials illegally it is considered piracy since the said materials music, movies, game, etc... were not obtained by a purchase. Therefore since the material is protected under the U. S. copyright law those caught and accused can be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Those who are being convicted of a first offense could be fined up to $250,000 and five years in prison.