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Software Piracy

Software Piracy: 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
nusance having to locate the manual everytime. 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...