Report Suspected Software Piracy And Copyright Infringement

What is Software Piracy

Software piracy refers to installing unauthorized copy of computer software without paying for the original or unauthorized distribution, reproduction and mislicensing. Copyright infringement comes in many form, back in the days before broadband is widely available, software piracy comes in the form of CDs whereas today, software piracy has evolved and now includes movies, mp3, eBooks, stock photos and more.

Software piracy is impossible to stop due to p2p technology such as bittorrent. Originally, software companies tried to stop software piracy by copy-protecting their software. This strategy failed because most countries have copyright laws which apply to software, but degree of enforcement varies.

Report Suspected Software Piracy And Copyright Infringement

Software piracy in China – Microsoft admits that piracy of its Windows operating system has helped give it huge market share (90%) in China that will boost its revenues when these users “go legit.” Bill Gates said, “It’s easier for our software to compete with Linux when there’s piracy than when there is not.

Consequences of Software Piracy

From a law point of view, if you or your company is caught with illegal copies of software, you may face criminal prosecution. If you are convicted for offences relating to infringing copies of software, you face not only a criminal record, but also a fine from a minimum of USD1,000 to USD10,000 for each infringing copy, a prison sentence of up to 5 years, or both.

Report Suspected Software Piracy And Copyright Infringement

From a business point of view, you will lose precious time getting back the confiscated computers, a lost of productivity because your worker don’t have computers to work on and not to mention all the data needed to run your office is not available. Time is money.

Anti Piracy Software, Tools and resources

With the B4USurf website, Busines Software Alliance (BSA) and its partners aim to provide educators and parents with the information and educational resources to help youths understand the dangers that exist online and how to surf safely and responsibly.

Report Suspected Software Piracy Offender

If you have any information regarding a person pirating software, you can make a report at BSA’s website. If the offender is caught and found guilty by the court, you as the informant will be rewarded handsomely.

Report Suspected Software Piracy And Copyright Infringement