Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Consequences --- Software Piracy



Consequences of using ‘Cracked’ “Pirated Software’

Software Piracy
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 cannot 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
References links
http://www.developer-resource.com/software-piracy.htm


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