The Problem of Software Piracy

25 Pages 6128 Words

INTRODUCTION

The popular conception of software piracy is that it is the activity of a minority of isolated pirate-hobbyists, copying and trading software for their personal consumption. Microsoft's allegations reflect a reality that software piracy has expanded from the bedrooms of computer wiz kids to a global trade in stolen software accounting for untold billions of dollars in lost revenue to the software industry. But Microsoft's statement is even more telling, in that it indicates the impact of software piracy goes far beyond lost income for software company shareholders. It affects lost jobs in local economies, lost tax revenues to governments, and decreased quality and increased prices for consumers whether private individuals, educational institutions, or businesses.
In order to study the complex problem of software piracy, we intend to conduct a five step ethical analysis. We will begin by stating the facts. We will pay close attention to who did what to whom, how much, and how much it really costs. We will also describe the economic and legal environment of the issue. Second, we will describe the conflict. We will describe the competing higher order values. Next, we will identify the stakeholders. Beyond the immediate contestants in this conflict, there are others who have a vested interested in the outcome.
Fourthly, it will be necessary to define possible options to mitigate the conflict. Finally, we'll need to describe the consequences of each possible resolution, so we might arrive at a reasonable recommendation.
After discussing the ethical analysis I have described the extent and nature of piracy in chapter 2. Chapter 3 is consisting of the potential effectiveness and attempts to stop it. Chapter 4 is based on a question that can software producer still turn a profit without worrying about piracy? And finally chapter 5 explores the Business Software Alliance’s (BSA) Software Policy and the law.

...