Unlike other things you purchase, the software applications and fonts you buy don't belong to you. Instead, you become a licensed user - you purchase the right to use the software on a single computer, but you can't put copies on other machines or pass that software along to colleagues. Software piracy is the illegal distribution and/or reproduction of software applications or fonts for business or personal use. Whether software piracy is deliberate or not, it is still illegal and punishable by law.
Software piracy is impossible to stop, although software companies are launching more and more lawsuits against major infractors. Originally, software companies tried to stop software piracy by copy-protecting their software. This strategy failed, however, because it was inconvenient for users and was not 100 percent foolproof. Most software now requires some sort of registration, which may discourage would-be pirates, but doesn't really stop software piracy.
Software piracy is impossible to stop, although software companies are launching more and more lawsuits against major infractors. Originally, software companies tried to stop software piracy by copy-protecting their software. This strategy failed, however, because it was inconvenient for users and was not 100 percent foolproof. Most software now requires some sort of registration, which may discourage would-be pirates, but doesn't really stop software piracy.
Copyright ©2009 What-is.Net All rights reserved.
Last Updated: Sep 2009
Last Updated: Sep 2009
An entirely different approach to software piracy, called shareware, acknowledges the futility of trying to stop people from copying software and instead relies on people's honesty. Shareware publishers encourage users to give copies of programs to friends and colleagues but ask everyone who uses a program regularly to pay a registration fee to the program's author directly.
Types of Software Piracy are:
Types of Software Piracy are:
• Softlifting: purchasing a single licensed copy of software and loading it onto several computers contrary to the license terms. For example, sharing software with friends, co-workers and others.
• Uploading and downloading: making unauthorized copies of copyrighted software available to end users connected by modem to online service providers and/or the Internet.
• Software counterfeiting: illegally duplicating and selling copyrighted software in a form designed to make it appear legitimate.
• OEM unbundling: selling standalone software that was intended to be bundled with specific accompanying hardware
• Hard disk loading: installing unauthorized copies of software onto the hard disks of personal computers, often as an incentive for the end user to buy the hardware from that particular hardware dealer
• Renting: unauthorized selling of software for temporary use, like you would a video.
• Uploading and downloading: making unauthorized copies of copyrighted software available to end users connected by modem to online service providers and/or the Internet.
• Software counterfeiting: illegally duplicating and selling copyrighted software in a form designed to make it appear legitimate.
• OEM unbundling: selling standalone software that was intended to be bundled with specific accompanying hardware
• Hard disk loading: installing unauthorized copies of software onto the hard disks of personal computers, often as an incentive for the end user to buy the hardware from that particular hardware dealer
• Renting: unauthorized selling of software for temporary use, like you would a video.
