Today is the age of computers. Men can do anything and everything with these wonder gadgets. The computer market has fully flourished into a fertile ground favoring all types of possibilities to grow. Right from performing many crucial tasks to playing games, from watching movies to surfing the Internet computers open up new windows for us all. Although computer software is a bit highly priced in the market, you can shop for them at discounted price from many sources. Computer outlets keep on giving discounts on several software from time to time, but for that you need to have a daily report about the market trend. The Internet is also a very good place to buy computer software at discounted prices. With the easy payment option through credit cards, things have become even simpler. Computer software work as the fuels in the work process of a computer system. Without the softwares computers are nothing but mere boxes. Installing the softwares, one can easily see his/her requirement getting fulfilled. But with the entry of pirated softwares into the market, performance of the applications tends to be at risk. It seems that many people resort on pirated softwares as they are available at cheaper rates, but when it comes to the performance point they fail miserably. Spending a fewer bucks more; it’s always wise on one’s side to go for the genuine softwares. After all, performance is the main thing in computing. If you search online or walk down the street of your city, we will see several authorized computer software stores which sell genuine softwares of all types. Anti Virus software, business software, business enterprise software all are available in a single location. Most of the site provide description about the products and price details, user reviews and comment that suggest you what’s the quality of the product. The decision is yours – whether you buy in person or on the World Wide Web.
Posts Tagged ‘Software’
Intellectual Property, Software, and Piracy
Caveat emptor, a pig in a poke, and let the cat out of the bag! Most people are familiar with at least two of these. When dealing with the software industry, all three must be remembered. Sellers have never had sterling reputations for honesty. lf they had, the three expressions cited above would never have attained a place in common usage. Putting a cat in a bag and selling it as a pig gave rise to the latter two expressions. The smart buyer, the buyer who took the caveat to heart, opened the bag before putting down his money and let the cat out. Software manufacturers have foisted the impression on the public that software is intellectual property, but there are so many differences between the paradigms of intellectual property and software that only the naive could ever take such claims seriously. The paradigms for intellectual property are the non-fiction book, the novel, poetry, musical composition, dramatic scripts, sculpture, paintings, in short, fine art. And these range from the absolutely unique item, like a great painting, that only one person can own to multiple itemed works, like books, that many people can own copies of. Software is certainly not at all like the former. Is it like the latter? First of all, a book has an author or authors, a musical composition a composer, a painting a painter. These are the people who collect the royalties. Who authors software? Do they get the royalties? Ah, don’t they wish it were so. Secondly, books, except textbooks, musical compositions, paintings, etc., don’t come out in versions. Tolstoy didn’t make a career out of writing War and Peace over and over again, improving a bit here and a bit there, even though I suspect he would have said that it could have been improved upon had he been asked. Michelangelo didn’t sculpt scores of versions of David and sell them as upgrades. Thirdly, when I buy a copy of a book, etc., it is mine, not the author’s or the publisher’s. I can do what I want with it. I can sell it, rent it, lend it, rewrite it, even destroy it. The manufacturers of software want to prohibit all of this. They even claim to retain ownership and sell only the right to use. But even this claim is specious. If I rent something to someone, I rent it for a specific period of time. When that time period is over, I want it back. When you go to Blockbuster and rent a CD, you don’t get it indefinitely. Blockbuster wants it back. But Microsoft doesn’t want old versions of Windows back, it doesn’t even want new versions of Windows back, so one can ask what kind of ownership do software manufacturers claim to retain? If I sell something, I have no further claim on it. It I discard something, I have no further claim on it. To retain a claim, I have to want it back, otherwise, I have sold it, discarded it, or given it away. So although software manufacturers claim to retain ownership, it is ownership of nothing. Finally, software is written with the help of software. An awful lot of it is canned. There are miles of similar code in programs that perform similar functions. Not so in novels, musical compositions, and other fine art. So if software is intellectual property, it is a strange kind of intellectual and a strange kind of property. In reality, software is a product made by employees in a factory. The software engineer, programmer, coder is no different than the welder or the lathe operator. Each has learned a specific skill. None is involved in an intellectual enterprise, and that is the chief reason software is often so bad. There are no bugs in true intellectual property, it has no security gaps. Authors, painters, composers, sculptors, poets do not include statements absolving themselves from damages as all software producers do. Then there are the claims of all the money being lost. Perhaps! But not as obvious as many seem to think. There is an assumption behind this claim that is patently false. The assumption is that everyone who pirates software would have bought it if he couldn’t have gotten it otherwise. But that’s not even remotely true. Distinctions need to be made between those who pirate software in order to sell it and those who pirate it for their own use. Few would disagree that the former are engaged in an improper activity. The same can’t be said of the latter, however. People who pirate software for their own uses do it for many reasons. One prevalent reason is putting software you have legitimately purchased on more than one computer in your own home. If I have a desktop and a laptop, why should I have to buy two copies of a program? If I have two CD players, I don’t have to buy two copies of a CD. I don’t have to buy a separate copy of a book for each member of my family who wants to read it. Why should this be wrong for software but right for CDs and books? The immorality or criminality here eludes me. Are software manufacturers more entitled to protection than authors or artists? Why? Others often pirate software just to look at it or try it out, something that often results in future sales. The manufacturers of software don’t factor these future sales into their loss calculations though, do they? Why not? And what’s wrong with trying something out before you buy it? Don’t you test drive a car before putting down the cash? Except for those small developers who offer minor programs on the internet, do you know of any way to try out software without purchasing it? People often pirate software which they really have no intention of using to any degree. Such pirating does not result in any loss of sales, so why should the manufacturers of software care about it? Such pirating is no different than borrowing a CD or a book, and it is perfectly acceptable and legal to do that. So why not software? So how does software piracy affect the economy and the technology industry as a whole? Damned if I know. It is not obvious to me that the Chinese would be buying Windows from Microsoft if it weren’t available from the sources they now get it from. I don’t know how many Chinese could afford it at Microsoft’s price. Would it mean more jobs for Americans? I have no reason to believe it. We have all heard about off-shored outsourcing and visas for foreign workers. And how does it affect the development of software? Would there be more of it if the rewards were greater? God knows, we’re inundated with it now. No developer seems to be terribly discouraged by the piracy that’s been going on, and the manufacturers themselves are constantly engaged in attempts to comer a market and drive competition out. Does that encourage developers? Software is a pig in a poke. It never works as promised, often requires more resources than claimed, and is sold under garage sale conditions with a disclaimer absolving the manufacturer of responsibility for any and everything. And these are the people crying crocodile tears about piracy! One can even suspect that software companies deliberately market defective software so they can later market “upgrades.” What do they say about thieves? It takes one to know one! Didn’t Microsoft literally steal DOS? Oh sure, the guys who developed it were dumb enough to sell it cheap and didn’t deserve what they didn’t get. But shouldn’t anyone dumb enough to put his stake in an industry whose products are easily copied and stolen be prepared to bear the consequences? Capitalism is an economic system that involves risk. A person investing in this system must evaluate the risks associated with the enterprise. And don’t tell me Bill Gates and others didn’t know the risks. So what’s the upshot? The manufacturers claim that they’re losing money. Maybe, maybe not. They knew what they were getting into. No one twisted their arms, and they’re all using tools developed by someone else. They didn’t invent the computer or devise the programming languages, and if they can use other people’s ideas for their own profit, why shouldn’t others use their ideas for profit? Remember, a penny saved is a penny earned. Ideas, after all, have no owners. Manufacturers lie about their software, why shouldn’t they lie about the effects of piracy? Would you be so willing to sop up the tears of the seller whose customer let the cat out of the bag that was supposed to contain a pig? Or would you laugh at his embarrassment and say he got what he deserved? ©2009 John Kozy
Microsoft And Software Piracy
On Apr 01, 2010, Microsoft release an update on their Worldwide work on Software Piracy. On their website, they identified five myths about this phenomenon. Here are the myths and the corresponding answer that Microsoft provided. Myth #1: Software piracy isn’t a serious crime. What’s the big deal? The reality is that it is a far cry from copying a CD or DVD, which looks harmless, to watching criminals set up their own manufacturing plants and distributing software through the Internet around the world. This can be especially true in countries that have poorly enforced intellectual property laws. Myth #2: Software piracy doesn’t hurt anyone. It’s not like anyone has ever been seriously injured, right? There are several serious problems that comes from downloading or buying hard copies of pirated software. One is that they are at risk of receiving inferior products; some may leave the users open to viruses, spyware and other malware. Users may expose themselves to potential identity theft from transactions occuring from unscrupulous businesses selling counterfeit software. Maybe users will lost their Windows 7 password, because others can reset Windows 7 password easily in counterfeit Microsoft Windows operating system and don’t require some Windows 7 password recovery tool. Myth#3: Pirated software is cheaper than genuine software. Many times there is no difference in price in high-quality counterfeit software and the real thing. In some situations it can even be more expensive than the genuine product. On the other hand, lower-quality counterfeit may be cheaper, but if the risk of loss of privacy on personal information is great, the cheap software is suddenly expensive software. Myth#4: People who purchase counterfeit software are aware the product is pirated – they are just trying to get a good deal. The majority of consumers who purchase counterfeit software may not aware they are buying pirated software. A high-quality counterfeit product can closely resemble the real one. The best protection against counterfeit software is to research the product, so you know how to identify the product before you go shopping. Myth#5: Software piracy is so rampant – what can you do? It’s not like consumers have the power to stop these software pirates. Not true. Microsoft feels that its customers are vital to the anti-piracy initiatives it has put forth.Thousands of enforcement actions have resulted from consumer tips and reports. In the past two years, Microsoft has witnessed an increase in the number of voluntary reports, as many as 150,000, from consumers who purchased counterfeit software and it turned out to be counterfeit and there after reported it.
About Software Piracy
It’s Best To Avoid It At All Costs Like electronic identity theft, computer viruses, and the spread of other computer crimes, software piracy is on the rise. The problem with software piracy is that software costs make this illegal activity appealing to the end user. After all, who is it going to hurt? Rich software companies?? This article investigates software piracy as a whole and the impact that it has on the computer using industry. The most vulnerable victims of software piracy are software businesses or independent programmers who create and distribute commercial software or shareware. We described shareware in another article, but because both commercial software and shareware require payment, they’re the target of pirates who seek to make these kinds of programs free to use. Depending on their binding legal agreements, licensing typically allows the use of a single program on a single computer. This set up is usually fine for a user who uses software at home on one computer. But in an environment where there are five, ten, twenty or more computers, buying a license for each computer can be down-right costly. So costly that the temptation to pirate a little software here and there can be pretty tempting. Co-workers are familiar with this temptation and they’re often the ones who “share” purchased software among those who need it. However the same temptation also prompts others to knowingly or unknowingly buy bootleg copies of commercial software or registered shareware. As tempting as it is, it’s still illegal and the punishments/fines for sharing commercial or registered software is too much for one to bear. In recent news, “Yahoo China loses music piracy case (AP via Yahoo! News) A court has ordered Yahoo Inc.’s China subsidiary to pay $27,000 for aiding music piracy, the company and a music industry group said Tuesday.”1 Additionally, “EU lawmakers approve prison terms, fines for major commercial piracy (International Herald Tribune) EU lawmakers voted Wednesday for legislation that would set prison sentences and fines for large-scale commercial piracy, but exempt patents and copying carried out for personal use.” 2 Fortunately, there are alternatives. Schools can research student versions of commercial software or ask for a school discount. Just because school rates aren’t advertised, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t available. Freeware or open source software (also described in another one of our articles) is another alternative to pirating commercial-ware, as well as shareware. And using older versions of programs could additionally reduce the costs associated with commercial versions. Up until recently, public opinion held little faith in freeware or open source software – often regarding it as low-quality knock-off’s of better known commercial products. But if you take a good look at what’s being offered at no cost, you may be in for a big surprise. The quality of today’s freeware and open source software created a strong rift among the commercial community and it’s literally driving the competition bananas! So much so, that even some well known software development corporations have joined the cause and built a few freeware open source products of their own! If you can remember that there are hoards of alternatives to costly commercial software (and you make the effort to get it), you’ll discover that you can keep up with the rest of the computer industry at a significantly cheaper cost than if you attempted to pay your way down the software aisle. Software piracy just isn’t the answer.
You Can Go To Jail For Software Piracy – Why Would You Do It?
There are many ways for a thief to perform his or her trade. In past decades, there were limited ways for thieves to steal. Most of them have perfected their craft with little chance of getting caught. However, with the ever-evolving Internet, thieves have a whole new venue for them to choose from. The latest product to come under the attack of theft is Software. With all of the software that is available and that is being developed, all a software pirate has to do is “choose” the software that they want from the Internet. Software Piracy has been on the rise in recent years because of the cost that is associated with the software itself; however, it is the business and programmers who suffer the most from software piracy. All software comes with a licensing agreement that the end user must agree to before they are allowed to use the software. These agreements are legal and binding and are usually only meant for the person who has purchased the software. However, even though the person agrees to this, they end up sharing the software with friends and family and sometimes even with their co-workers. When this occurs, it is considered software piracy. Although it is on a very small scale, it is still stealing. Perhaps you and your co-workers are not aware of the consequences of sharing software files. In recent news stories, software piracy has become the focal point for many lawmakers. New laws have been passed that make fines for software piracy steep and jail time is a real possibility for those who continue to pirate software. The person who gets a hold of that software and turns around and sells it as bootleg certainly understands the penalty for getting caught. However, the temptation to make a lot of money for very little work proves to be too much for some to pass up. Schools throughout the country and the world use commercial software and shareware. Most schools are eligible for discounts on software that allows their students to research their subjects. Freeware and Open Source software are also available to schools throughout the world, and this type of software is also vulnerable to software piracy. One way to reduce this particular piracy risk is to use older versions of the software. Consumers have never had a high opinion of freeware or Open Source software. They have always felt that these products were lacking in performance and were very low quality. They are so wrong. In recent years, with the upgrades that have been developed, the quality of freeware has increased dramatically. The quality has increased so much, that the commercial software corporations have begun to take notice and protest that they are loosing money due to the freeware that is being developed. When you are looking for software, it is important that you research all of your possibilities. There are literally thousands of programs both commercial and freeware, however it is important that you read and understand the licensing agreement before you accept it. It is a legal and binding agreement, and the consequences of breaking that agreement are also very real. It is also not necessary to commit software piracy, rather use the freely available Open Source products.
Software Piracy Can Land You In Jail
There are many ways for a thief to perform his or her trade. In past decades, there were limited ways for thieves to steal. Most of them have perfected their craft with little chance of getting caught. However, with the ever-evolving Internet, thieves have a whole new venue for them to choose from. The latest product to come under the attack of theft is Software. With all of the software that is available and that is being developed, all a software pirate has to do is “choose” the software that they want from the Internet. Software Piracy has been on the rise in recent years because of the cost that is associated with the software itself; however, it is the business and programmers who suffer the most from software piracy. All software comes with a licensing agreement that the end user must agree to before they are allowed to use the software. These agreements are legal and binding and are usually only meant for the person who has purchased the software. However, even though the person agrees to this, they end up sharing the software with friends and family and sometimes even with their co-workers. When this occurs, it is considered software piracy. Although it is on a very small scale, it is still stealing. Perhaps you and your co-workers are not aware of the consequences of sharing software files. In recent news stories, software piracy has become the focal point for many lawmakers. New laws have been passed that make fines for software piracy steep and jail time is a real possibility for those who continue to pirate software. The person who gets a hold of that software and turns around and sells it as bootleg certainly understands the penalty for getting caught. However, the temptation to make a lot of money for very little work proves to be too much for some to pass up. Schools throughout the country and the world use commercial software and shareware. Most schools are eligible for discounts on software that allows their students to research their subjects. Freeware and Open Source software are also available to schools throughout the world, and this type of software is also vulnerable to software piracy. One way to reduce this particular piracy risk is to use older versions of the software. Consumers have never had a high opinion of freeware or Open Source software. They have always felt that these products were lacking in performance and were very low quality. They are so wrong. In recent years, with the upgrades that have been developed, the quality of freeware has increased dramatically. The quality has increased so much, that the commercial software corporations have begun to take notice and protest that they are loosing money due to the freeware that is being developed. When you are looking for software, it is important that you research all of your possibilities. There are literally thousands of programs both commercial and freeware, however it is important that you read and understand the licensing agreement before you accept it. It is a legal and binding agreement, and the consequences of breaking that agreement are also very real. It is also not necessary to commit software piracy, rather use the freely available Open Source products.
Digital Rights Management: Software Piracy Is Killing The Industry
What would you say if you were told that you were losing thousands upon thousands of dollars on a piece of software that you have created and are trying to make a profit off of? Well, it is the truth. Software piracy is a problem that has brought the software industry to a near standstill, costing the industry billions of dollars each and every year in lost revenue, not to mention thousands upon thousands of software and IT jobs in the United States. Something must be done about the issue of software piracy but what? Copyright infringement is a faceless crime; the victim is often the hard working programmer but the assailant could be anybody; you could look them in the face and not know who they are. For this reason, it is important to protect your digital media as much as you possibly can because of all intellectual property is it at the most risk of infringement by others, and those who can take advantage of a weak security process or a hole in programming certainly will. The world is full of those who want to profit from something that they had no part in. It has been going on since the beginning of time and the only difference now is that technology has allowed people to take advantage of the work of others like never before, as well as giving them an even more efficient means of distributing and even profiting from the work of others. It seems you don’t have to have a software programming degree or experience to make money selling computer programs or similar digital media; all you have to do is be the proud owner of a CD or DVD burner and maybe even a few good hacking skills. Good digital rights management techniques are necessary now more than ever before. Unfortunately it is another investment in its own but there are services out there that are making good digital rights management services more and more affordable, just to offset the enormous killing that software piracy is causing to the industry. If you have created a software program, take the necessary steps to prevent it form being copied or utilized by others to make a profit. A computer program or video game, picture or e-book is just as important as a painting or novel and it is just as wrong to sell and distribute one as the other. Without having appropriate digital rights management procedures in place you are leaving yourself open to an unnamed amount of money in profits. Do the right thing and protect your digital property somehow or another. Think of all of the digital media that flows through the internet, such as e-books, copyrighted images, articles, software, and other things. The internet is not as secure as it could and probably should be, and if you are one of those people who are using the computer and Internet to your advantage to gain a skill and gain something monetary from it, you are more at risk than ever before. Just why is that, you ask? It is rather simple. As technology advances and gives you the tools and capabilities necessary to create innovative products it also gives other people out there license to take it and that can fast defeat the purpose of creating software to sell for profit in the first place. If you were creating something for fair use and share with other people, digital rights management would not be important but in the case that you are creating something to make available to customers for a price, digital rights management is an important thing to take into consideration. For every person that takes your software or product and comes by it illegally or immorally, they are bound to share it with at least one person. That not only takes out of your pocket what you are due by their having possession of your product but it also doubles that due to their likelihood to share it with another person. Luckily, there are services out there for people who do not have their own method of digital rights management in place. Service like Lock It Now! And Software Defender provides photographers, e-book creators and software entrepreneurs the opportunity to protect their product with an automated registration verification system, protecting you against repeat ‘refunders’ (those who order your product just to copy it and request a refund of their money, thereby having obtained your product for free). Copyright infringement and software piracy are as real as any computer program, e-book or digital image out there so it is important to make sure that you take the necessary steps to protect your intellectual property from people who care not to pay for the things in life that they want.
Posted in Software Piracy 
Tags: Digital, Industry, Killing, Management, Piracy, Rights, Software 
Comments OffMicrosoft is King of Computer Software
Software was all complicated when it initially stormed the market. Only computer nerds were associated with it, but a lot of things have changed today. Thanks to Microsoft, they have made everything very simple for users. Software has also evolved a great deal when it comes to daily usage. A lot of things in the software field happened only because of Microsoft. Even though there have been many competitors in the field, they have ruled the roost. They have been least perturbed by the entry of other software corporations when it comes to software. Every day they are constantly working towards giving the world better software to use. They made the whole world understand what software was all about. This is the greatest invention of the world till date, as it has made life very easy for everyone. From running businesses to shopping and other facilities, software has made everything possible. And Microsoft is responsible for all this. They have made the world a smaller place, though there have been inputs from many other corporations. However one drawback that most users have with software is that it keeps changing often. This has also lead to piracy of software in a big way. Not much effort is being taken about this, as it seems pointless. The piracy industry is so vast that Microsoft is unable to keep a check on what is going on entirely. The software ranges from simple to complicated applications. However they serve the industries of the world in a big way. Software is also expensive, and this is one way that the company made money. Software has revolutionized the ways of the world in many ways, and this has made life very easy for many millions of people around the world. A lot of intelligence is however required when it comes to development of software. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates is known to have begun and grown the strength of the software he provides to the world, purely on merit. Daily tasks can be handled with the help of software, from accounts to appointments. The whole aspect of the facility is very interesting. This will provide a great opportunity for people to make their lives systematic. People should contribute back by buying original software and killing piracy. Software is also a very important part of many industries in various ways. All of this, thanks to Microsoft.
Software Protection Against Software Piracy
What is Software Piracy? How much do you know about Software Piracy? According to Business Software Alliance, Software Piracy is the unauthorized copying or distribution of copyrighted software. This can be done by copying, downloading, sharing, selling, or installing multiple copies onto personal or work computers. Whether you are casually making a few copies for friends, loaning disks, distributing or downloading pirated software from the Internet, or buying a single software program and then installing it on multiple computers (including personal), you are committing copyright infringement—also known as software piracy. How well is your software protected? Software Proctection is a term that is well known in software developers where they strive themselve to have better and better protection each time to protect their software been pirated and for illegal usage. So, most of the software nowadays are protected somehow in a software based license protection or a hardware based licensed protection. Software based and Hardware based Software Protection Software based Software License Protection is the earliest protection method available and usually the protected application will require user to key in Serial No., License Key or Unlock Code to activate the software license. Most of the third party Software License Protection provider will provide a ready made encryption engine of which software developers can use this to encrypt their software applications as to add the protection layer onto their software applications. Usually, the protection will tie with some unique ID from the computer system such as Hard Disk ID or Network Card ID. Also due to this reason, usually if there is any hardware problem such as Hard Disk or Network Card spoilt, license re-activation will be needed. It will also means the Software Developers will need to keep track and verify the License Key reissue request from the end users, of which some end users might try to take advantage on it. As Software based Protection do not come with any additional devices, it will have to store all the licensing information into the computer system and mostly hide it inside registry. Hardware based Software License Protection is now the most popular protection method where the end user will require to plug in the valid hardware device to the computer in order to run the application. Third party provider will sell the devices which is commonly called Dongles together with software SDK for software developers to do the integration. Usually for Hardware based Software License Protection, end user will not require to key in any Serial No., License Key nor Unlock Code, just plug in the Dongle and run the application, the protection will authenticate the license through Dongle. There are many different forms of Dongles available in the market and the most advanced Dongles are now built based on MCU Smart Card of which it is able to provide very maximum protection and thus make hacking almost impossible. As now, software developers are able to determine your software licenses with their Dongles thus make software distribution much easier and more secure. Both Software and Hardware Based Protection have their own Pros and Cons. Different software developers might have different preferences on selecting either Software based or Hardware based Software License Protection into their software applications. Hardware Based Software Protection is no more Costly! SecureMetric Technology introducing its hardware based protection dongle into the market at impressive competitive pricing. Any software Developers who are interested on hardware based software protection are welcomed to try on SecureDongle X & SecureDongle Software Development Kit and you will be stunned by its fantastic features at its impressive pricing! Visit http://www.securemetric.com to know more about SecureDongle X and detailed about software licensing protection.
Are We Able to Completely Stop Software Piracy
While you may know that copying and/or distributing copyrighted software illegally is considered piracy, you may not be aware that even possession of software that has been illegally copied is piracy. There are actually many distinct types of software piracy, and familiarity with them can protect you from any connection, even if unintentional, to intellectual property theft. Types of Software Piracy End-User piracy: When users copy software without appropriate licensing for each copy. This includes both casual copying and distribution between individuals, and companies who do not strictly monitor the number of software licenses they install and do not acquire enough licenses to cover their software installations. It also consists of unlicensed PCs caused by customers who have the misperception that their Volume License covers the full Windows desktop operating system, which it does not; Volume Licensing provides only for Windows desktop upgrades. Pre-installed Software: When a computer manufacturer takes one copy of software and illegally installs it on more than one computer. Consumers should be on the lookout for proper license documentation when purchasing a new PC, to ensure they’re getting what they paid for. Internet Piracy: When unauthorized copies are downloaded over the Internet. If downloads are made available on the Internet, make sure that the publisher has authorized this distribution. Counterfeiting: When illegal copies of software are made and distributed in packaging that reproduces the manufacturer’s packaging. Counterfeit registration cards with unauthorized serial numbers are often included in these packages. Online Auction Piracy: takes several forms, such as: Software resold in violation of the original terms of sale, NFR (Not for Resale), or OEM software that is never authorized for resale by a third party. Online distributors offering special deals with the software publisher, liquidated inventories, or acquisition through bankruptcy sales. These types of phrases are used to fool consumers into believing that they are getting genuine product that wouldn’t otherwise be discounted.
Impact of Software Piracy on International Business
Piracy mean Theft of someone works before it become available to public. Piracy a demand of current age. What piracies do it makes thing available before its presence in the market, resulting degrading of that thing in the market. Also piracy cash the market due the fact that price of pirated thing become so low. It affects the goals of company, which develop that pirated object. As a result of the alarming magnitude of software piracy and its consequences for the development of both the software industry and many national economies, theorists have begun to examine a number of different causes Software a dominating industry of now a day. For the development of any single software, lots of resources are used, resulting some class of expenditure cost. Traditionally, protection has been granted to inventions and creative works through patents, trademarks, and copyrights. Now we are faced with the problem of treating information as an asset – as property. As a result of the alarming magnitude of software piracy and its consequences for the development of both the software industry and many national economies, theorists have begun to examine a number of different causes. The expenditures somehow may be meeting through getting best cost of that software. If piracy exists, then purchasing factor on demand price will be minimized, resulting market crash and software degrading. This is erroneous for international business, because a big profitable thing is disguise through piracy before its opening. Piracy of before can be controlled either by global copyrights availability, license check of software, locking mechanism of software and so on.
Software Piracy and Internet Pirates Going to Prison
Software piracy gave a sharp awakening to copyright infringement counsels around the world. Software piracy law efforts backed by the SIIA (Software and Information Industry Association), the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), the Business Software Association (BSA) and of course Microsoft, are running fast and furious to intimidate internet pirates and quash any and all efforts of internet piracy, software piracy and copyright infringement on software, music and film. Efforts at suppressing internet piracy, copyright infringement and software piracy are running full speed ahead. Illegal copyright infringement and software piracy can result in civil or criminal trials. Prior to 1978, copyright infringement could be subject to state or federal laws. However, in 1976, Congress codified Section 17 of the United States Code to limit copyright infringement to the federal courts effective January 1, 1978 – essentially dissolving the power of the states to prosecute cases of copyright infringement – the legal claim for software piracy and internet piracy. Sentencing for federal crimes have been historically more punitive than that for state crimes and have been under legislative and judicial scrutiny for decades. The Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 led to Federal Sentencing Guidelines that were enacted in 1987 – presumably to develop consistency in sentencing. In 2004 the Federal Sentencing Guidelines were struck down by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court decided the federal guidelines were advisory, but not mandatory. Hence, anyone subject to federal sentencing for copyright infringement, software piracy or internet piracy could receive a substantially higher sentence than the federal guidelines suggest – and presumably lower. But apparently “advisory” is still mandated. In the USA vs. Kononchuck software piracy case which involved pirated Microsoft software, the original sentencing judge was lenient and sentenced one of the defendants to only probation and house arrest. The prosecutor appealed the light sentence, and the case was brought back to court for new, harsher, sentencing. These types of decisions surely contribute to the 2.3 million people that are imprisoned today – up from 1.1 million in 1990. Pew Research reports 1 in every 100 adults in America is in prison. The US Sentencing Guidelines Manual (U.S.S.G.) lists the mitigating factors that are taken into consideration for internet piracy, software piracy and copyright infringement in Section 2B5.3. Because copyright infringement is an economic offense, the retail cost of the software pirated and the number of items pirated determine the severity of the crime. The Courts use a “base” crime level, and adjust the sentencing accordingly with the elements of the case. Copyright Infringement starts off at “level 8,” and only one count of a value under $2000 could bring a sentence anywhere from 0 to 6 years (as determined in the 2007 Federal Sentencing Guidelines Chapter Five Part A Sentencing Table). With just one or two “marks” against a defendant, the minimum jail times goes up to 4 years. “Uploading” is 2 points – and increases the sentence to 4-10 years. Software piracy, internet piracy and copyright infringement prison terms are still undergoing scrutiny during the appeals process. Despite strict sentencing in copyright infringement, Internet piracy is far from being quashed. MarketingVox has reported a 3% increase in illegal music downloads over the last couple years, even as prison for piracy escalates. Copyright infringement litigation will be tossed and turned in the courts with unexpected prison sentences and damage awards until the district courts develop consistent sentencing precedents based on the motivations of the piracy and severity of the crimes that adhere to the constitutional principals. Until Congress, the Courts and the Constitution speak the same language, Internet pirates are likely to be facing some federal jail time in the years to come.