There is no justifiable reason for using pirated software copies. Piracy is stealing and stealing is illegal and immoral. Supporting piracy is tantamount to using poverty as an excuse for robbing a bank. If people have the money to buy a computer, then they should also have the money to buy legitimate software copies. However, to blame someone for doing it may not be a reasonable approach. The better approach here is proper education.
According to the World Anti-Piracy Observatory (WAPO) program of UNESCO, one leading cause of piracy is the low level of public awareness. Piracy has somewhat become socially accepted that people do not feel guilty in doing it. It lacks the social stigma brought by any other criminal activity. Also, the public often has misconceptions about this practice. For most, it is a means of getting by. They think that since it is easy to do, it is not illegal, that they were in dire need of it and it came at so cheap a price, therefore their actions were justified.
People should be educated on the impact of using pirated copies. The dangers include the following:
- Using pirated copies may subject you to severe copyright infringement penalties. Companies did not simply invest their millions to be taken advantage by software pirates. They are bound to protect their hard work by implementing legal reassurances.
- Illegal copies may infect your computers with malware which could damage your files or expose confidential information like contracts, bank account numbers, passwords, contacts especially customer lists, etc. Your computer may suffer a crash which defeats your purpose of saving money. Most of the time, damages brought by malware are irreparable and could lead you to buying a new computer. So much for saving on software!
- The program may not work properly after quite some time as developers push product updates which could render your copy unusable if detected to be a pirated version.
- You may not avail of customer support and other after-sale services. You cannot enjoy professional assistance since the copy you have was not purchase legitimately. You have to figure out things on your own which is very inconvenient.
Software companies may initiate campaigns to raise awareness about these dangers of piracy and partner with associations and organizations that advocate against this practice. Case in point is Microsoft Corporation’s efforts in establishing a trade group, The Software Alliance, also known as Business Software Alliance (BSA), in 1988. This organization is a member of the International Intellectual Property Alliance and represents a number of the world’s leading software developers such as Adobe, Apple Inc., Autodesk, Cisco Systems, IBM, among others.
The 2016 BSA Global Software Survey indicates that:
- 39% of software installed on computers around the world in 2015 is not properly licensed
- CIOs estimate that 15% of their employees perform unauthorized installation of software in the network, while almost 30% of workers admit doing this practice. Simply put, a large number of CIOs are not aware of how frequent such practice takes place in their organization.
- 49% of CIOs identified security threats from malware as a major threat posed by unlicensed software.
- Worldwide rate for using unlicensed software is 25% for the banking, insurance, and securities industries – critical industries where stricter controls are expected.
Through these studies, organizations are able to obtain data which can be applied in the implementation of their strategic plans.
Alongside pushing for proper education and information dissemination, software companies may adopt other methods to fight off the problem on piracy and at the same time build up consumer’s capacity. These are the following:
- Offer low priced versions and cut out some of the features like introducing starter packs to reduce the barriers to purchase legitimate copies
- Target businesses that use illegal copies instead of pressuring the government. Without the demand for these illegal products, factories serving these will experience a slump thereby killing their businesses.
- Make freeware compatible with operating systems to empower people to shift from piracy, but at the same time maintain the company’s competitive edge. A plethora of free versions of almost every program is available at CNET, Sourceforge, Brothersoft, and Get Jar.
In this pressing piracy problem, people need to understand that it is not a victimless crime. The price one pays today is nothing compared to the price one may pay in the future which could include considerable jail time. Piracy is a criminal offense. It is not justifiable to rob yourself of your future for a few present gains. Remember that ignorance of the law excuses no one! Let us kill ignorance. Spread information, spread awareness, and softly, we kill piracy. ★
Resources:
http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=39405&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/the-5-best-most-reliable-srces-to-download-freeware-programs/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BSA_(The_Software_Alliance)
http://globalstudy.bsa.org/2016/
https://securitygladiators.com/2014/09/17/why-not-use-pirated-software/
https://www.bitdefender.com/tech-assist/self-help/dangers-of-using-pirated-software.html
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