Software Piracy Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Software Piracy Nowadays, software became part of our everyday life, running everything in the digital world from our PCs to the internet. It is definitely the most valuable technology of the Information age. Software is also the victim of a big problem that exists in homes, schools, businesses and government: Piracy. Copyright laws protect the intellectual property software developers, but unfortunately, not only did new technologies enhanced ways to access and distribute copyrighted work legally but also illegally. Software piracy is an illegal and unethical behavior that should be understood by everyone. It is important for us to understand what software piracy is in its variety, then realize its importance in the US and the world, and examining its causes and consequences and finally identify ways of dealing with it. Software Piracy is the unauthorized copying of software. Buying software applications differs from everything else you buy: the software does not belong to you; you become a licensed user, â€Å"you purchase the right to use the software on a single computer† (â€Å"What is Software Piracy?†). It is vital to understand that you cannot copy the software to other machines or lend the software to friends, colleagues or family. The unauthorized copying of software is illegal, it does not matter whether you call it â€Å"borrowing, copying, sharing or fair use† (â€Å"Software Piracy: What You Should Know.†). You are only allowed to make copies of software for back up purposes. Most licenses only allow the program to be run by one user on only one machine (â€Å"Software Piracy.†). There are several kinds of software piracy: End User Piracy, Client-Server Overuse, Internet Piracy, Hard-Disk Loading, and Software Counterfeiting. End... ...ss Technology Network. March 20th, 2004 http://www.techweb.com/tech/opinion_mad/20021220_mad â€Å"Software piracy takes toll on global scale.† USA today website. March 20th, 2004 http://www.usatoday.com/tech/techreviews/2001-08-01-software-piracy.htm â€Å"Focus on Software Piracy Problem.† Wired website. March 20th, 2004 http://www.wired.com/news/linux/0,1411,58306,00.html â€Å"Legal Land Mines† By: Melymuka, Kathleen. Computerworld, 9/22/2003, Vol. 37 Issue 38, p37, 2p, 1c â€Å"Many Students Use Software Without Paying For It† By: Carlson, Scott. Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/3/2003, Vol. 50 Issue 6, pA30, 1/4p â€Å"Pay Now, or Pay Big Later† By: Kruger, Robert M. Design News, 12/1/2003, Vol. 58 Issue 18, p20, 2/3p â€Å"Pirate This Page† By: Erickson, Jonathan. Dr. Dobb's Journal: Software Tools for the Professional Programmer, Sep2003, Vol. 28 Issue 9, p8, 1p Software Piracy Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Essays Software Piracy Nowadays, software became part of our everyday life, running everything in the digital world from our PCs to the internet. It is definitely the most valuable technology of the Information age. Software is also the victim of a big problem that exists in homes, schools, businesses and government: Piracy. Copyright laws protect the intellectual property software developers, but unfortunately, not only did new technologies enhanced ways to access and distribute copyrighted work legally but also illegally. Software piracy is an illegal and unethical behavior that should be understood by everyone. It is important for us to understand what software piracy is in its variety, then realize its importance in the US and the world, and examining its causes and consequences and finally identify ways of dealing with it. Software Piracy is the unauthorized copying of software. Buying software applications differs from everything else you buy: the software does not belong to you; you become a licensed user, â€Å"you purchase the right to use the software on a single computer† (â€Å"What is Software Piracy?†). It is vital to understand that you cannot copy the software to other machines or lend the software to friends, colleagues or family. The unauthorized copying of software is illegal, it does not matter whether you call it â€Å"borrowing, copying, sharing or fair use† (â€Å"Software Piracy: What You Should Know.†). You are only allowed to make copies of software for back up purposes. Most licenses only allow the program to be run by one user on only one machine (â€Å"Software Piracy.†). There are several kinds of software piracy: End User Piracy, Client-Server Overuse, Internet Piracy, Hard-Disk Loading, and Software Counterfeiting. End... ...ss Technology Network. March 20th, 2004 http://www.techweb.com/tech/opinion_mad/20021220_mad â€Å"Software piracy takes toll on global scale.† USA today website. March 20th, 2004 http://www.usatoday.com/tech/techreviews/2001-08-01-software-piracy.htm â€Å"Focus on Software Piracy Problem.† Wired website. March 20th, 2004 http://www.wired.com/news/linux/0,1411,58306,00.html â€Å"Legal Land Mines† By: Melymuka, Kathleen. Computerworld, 9/22/2003, Vol. 37 Issue 38, p37, 2p, 1c â€Å"Many Students Use Software Without Paying For It† By: Carlson, Scott. Chronicle of Higher Education, 10/3/2003, Vol. 50 Issue 6, pA30, 1/4p â€Å"Pay Now, or Pay Big Later† By: Kruger, Robert M. Design News, 12/1/2003, Vol. 58 Issue 18, p20, 2/3p â€Å"Pirate This Page† By: Erickson, Jonathan. Dr. Dobb's Journal: Software Tools for the Professional Programmer, Sep2003, Vol. 28 Issue 9, p8, 1p