Software pirates attempt to make several arguments justifying their actions. An empirical study of software piracy and moral intensity among university students. The association for computing machinery, or acm, claims to be the worlds largest educational and scientific computing society. How to reduce software piracy in the middle east and africa. Any actions taken outside the limits of the license constitute software piracy. Software piracy restricted in sa it news africa up to. Piracy is a term used to describe the illegal downloading of music, movies, games, and even software online. Moral intensity regardingsoftware piracy has been argued to be relatedto the extent of software piracy. Aug 15, 2014 similarly, companies that derive benefit from software should pay to use that software. Apr, 2015 in their view, intellectual property, in the form of and patents, unfairly restricts access to ideas and expression. Noncommercial software theft or piracy, while currently illegal because it violates the laws, is justified ethically, economically, and socially, and should therefore be allowed.
Something as innocent as installing a program on more than one computer, if the copy was intended for only one computer, can constitute piracy. Knowledge of intellectual property laws as a moderator article pdf available in behaviour and information technology 333. Theres a need to find a way to maximise the truly amazing potential of the internet, while properly rewarding creators. Kini, ramakrishna, and vijayaraman 2004 observed moral intensity among students regarding software piracy in culturally different countries and reported a. Case studies in information and computer ethics, prenticehall, upper saddle river, nj, 1997. Software piracy is a form of ethical issue that is hard to solve in society, especially among students of faculty of computer science university of. However, even in cases where companies are found to be using unlicensed software, enforcement was a last resort. After the publicity from the indictment has died down somewhat, information systems would be wise to disseminate information regarding what constitutes wire fraud and software piracy, and the possible legal consequences of these actions. Software piracy is one of the most remarkable among computer ethics breaches. While the activity is generally seen as illegal, i will explore the ethical implications of software piracy and its effects in two cases.
Introduction to computer information systemsethics. The main agendas which can be recognized to ethics in relation to information technology can be tied down to hacking, privacy, software piracy and it personnel work ethics. A guide to the ethical and legal use of software for members of the academic community software enables us to accomplish many different tasks with computers. By placing guerrilla open access within a longer history of piracy and access to knowledge we can see that, since piracy is not.
The use of unlicensed software is illegal, plain and simple. The itas prime objective is the promotion of consistent standards of professionalism and service in the information technology industry. Software piracy dictionary definition software piracy. Software piracy refers to a criminal act in which a software program under is reproduced and distributed. Software piracy among it professionals in organizations. While some regard this practice as criminal and unethical, 1, 2 for others, liberating research is a justified act of civil disobedience. A persons ethical and moral predispositions and the judgments that they use to make decisions may be consistent across various ethical dilemmas and may indicate their likelihood to pirate software. Copying that software to multiple computers or sharing it with your. The study software piracy in nigeria aimed to examine the causes of software piracy in nigeria, to determine the effect of software piracy on the economy of nigeria, to examine the role of ict in the growth of software piracy in nigeria, to examine the relationship between software piracy and the social well being in nigeria the study made use. Software piracy a serious crime online ethics center for engineering 3262006 oec accessed. It is considered theft, but there is nothing physical to steal. The majority of software today is purchased as a singleuser license, meaning that only one computer may have that software installed on it at one time.
Computer ethics deals with moral responsibility of what is wrong and right. By taking into deeper look, we begin to realize that ethics and information technology involve more issues which on the whole are just as worst. Moral arguments to follow the law date back to plato. Capital is not necessary for advancement as so many proponents of software piracy state. Computer software, however, does not seem to fit into this. Software piracy costs the software industry billions of dollars each year. There are two contrasting ethical views on the issue of piracy, and both have their valid points. Piracy is ethical some think that there is nothing wrong with software piracy. Software piracy is a major global concern for businesses that generate their revenues through software products. Ethical aspects on software piracy and information and. The software industry is prepared to do battle against software piracy. The study on software piracy will focus on the causes of software piracy in nigeria, the effect of software piracy on the economy of nigeria, the roles of ict in the growth of software piracy in nigeria and the relationship between software piracy and the social well being in nigeria. Under law, software piracy occurs when protected software is copied, distributed, modified or sold.
Guide to legal and ethical use of software washington. Unlike other activities like hacking and security breaches, which are outright illegal, software. This greatly changes the way people view it, and therefore some findings regarding ethics for more material crimes do not apply, or at least not in the same way. The software pirates and those trying to protect software s approach the ethics of piracy from two different viewpoints. Corporate place branch physical address corporate place 2nd floor swazi plaza. Nov 28, 2014 a animated video informing of software piracy created using powtoon free sign up at create animated videos and animated p. Ethical issues with the software piracy issue free essays. Ethical issues with the software piracy issue essay 986. Ethical issues in software piracy moral responsibility. Artists, academics, and scientists frequently create without such reward.
Piracy is the theft of intellectual property and is no more acceptable than shoplifting. Anunderstanding of the development of moralintensity regarding software piracy inindividuals would aid businesses in developingand implementing policies that may help themreduce. Jeff biron the software industry has to deal with the threat of piracy and its impact of their business. Comparing software piracy in south africa and zambia using. The courts are dealing with an increasing number of lawsuits concerning the protection of software. Software piracy is considered direct infringement when it denies holders due compensation for use of their creative works.
Employees must comply with the applicable laws, rules and regulations which relate to their activities for and on behalf of the group. Anunderstanding of the development of moralintensity regarding software piracy inindividuals would aid businesses in developingand implementing. They consider illegal downloading to be victimless crime, and do not. Computer and information ethics stanford encyclopedia of.
Computer ethics is a set of morals that regulate the use of computers. Specifically, all members of the ita are committed to act in a professional manner in their relationships with their customers, their employees, fellow members and the public. For users, it poses an increased risk for the spreading of viruses, lack of customer support, which means users cannot use the program to its full. As evident in the ethical, economic, and social arguments, noncommercial software pirating is not a bad thing. Similarly, companies that derive benefit from software should pay to use that software. In 1976 bill gates wrote an open letter to hobbyists, in it he called the illegal duplication of proprietary software theft, and went onto say that users who steal software end up hurting the industry by way of discouraging programmers from developing more software for fear of further violations. For example, not being involved in software piracy is a matter of ethics. The security polices and codes of ethics combined with users educationtraining measures might be useful in deterring is misuse. Any person wishing to join the society must accept a code of ethics and professional conduct, which covers the ethical issues surrounding software piracy. Legally speaking, what they will be doing is a violation of. Considerations in ethical decisionmaking and software piracy. In 1976 bill gates wrote an open letter to hobbyists, in it he called the illegal duplication of proprietary software theft, and went onto say that users who steal software end up hurting the industry. An earlier study by cohen and cornwell from a decade ago is replicated, adding questions about downloading music from the internet. Kini, ramakrishna, and vijayaraman 2004 observed moral intensity among students regarding software piracy in culturally different countries and reported a relationship between moral intensity.
Software piracy is the stealing of legally protected software. Apr, 2015 many millions of people throughout the world will illegally download the fifth season of game of thrones, released today by hbo. Unfortunately, in order to get our work done quickly and conveniently, some people make and use unauthorized software copies. The license purchased defines specific terms and conditions regarding legal use of the software, such as how many computers the user may install the software on, or whether the software can be transferred to another computer or not. The more specific term computer ethics has been used, in the past, in several different ways. Software piracy is a major global concern forbusinesses that generate their revenues throughsoftware products.
I recently got a hankering to reread some of my favorite books. Mbabane branch physical address 1st house betfusile street mbabane. Although any form of infringement can and has been referred to as piracy, this article focuses on using computers to make digital copies of works for distribution over the internet. A comparative examination of attitudes toward software piracy among business professors and executives. Software piracy is older than the pc and has been the subject of several studies, which have found it to be a widespread phenomenon in general, and among university students in particular. Software pirates attempt to make several arguments justifying their. The research model was tested via path analysis using structural equation modeling and was found to be appropriate for the sample data. Software piracy dictionary definition software piracy defined. Software piracy is defined as illegally copying software that does not belong to you in a manner that violates the. Software piracy is a form of ethical issue that is hard to solve in society, especially among students of faculty of computer science university of indonesia. Code of ethics promoting consistent standards of professionalism and service. This includes anything from music, movies, and video games, to document software such as microsoft office, adobe, and imaging programs. Something as innocent as installing a program on more than one computer, if the copy was intended for only one computer, can constitute.
Student attitudes on software piracy and related issues of. An understanding of the development of moral intensity regarding software piracy in individuals would aid businesses. Information systems would be wise to disseminate information regarding what constitutes wire fraud and software piracy, and the possible legal consequences of these actions. Many millions of people throughout the world will illegally download the fifth season of game of thrones, released today by hbo. Ethical issues with the software piracy issue essay 986 words. Software piracy is a term used to describe the act of illegally using, copying or distributing software without ownership or legal rights. The results suggest that there is a relationship between religion and the stages of an ethical decision making process regarding general ethical situations and software piracy. Ethics could be referred to as specific values, standards, rules, and agreements.
Downloading commercial software is unethical, as it is the virtual equivalent of stealing. A animated video informing of software piracy created using powtoon free sign up at create animated videos and animated p. First, that of the pirate that seeks to sell their pirated software, and the second case of pirated software obtained freely. Mar 10, 2017 while some regard this practice as criminal and unethical, 1, 2 for others, liberating research is a justified act of civil disobedience.
Shaping of moral intensity regarding software piracy. Although many people dont feel that piracy is a crime that affects anybody, it really does. From the viewpoint of computer ethics theories university of oulu department of information processing science. According to the 2010 global software piracy study, run by the business software alliance bsa, the countrys piracy rate remained at 35% in 2010, while the commercial value of unlicensed. In their view, intellectual property, in the form of and patents, unfairly restricts access to ideas and expression. For software creators and corporations the ethics behind software piracy is one sided, they view it as theft and morally wrong. Employees may not break the law or enter into unethical business practices, including taking money for, or taking part in, any unlawful acts including but not limited to bribery, fraud, theft or money laundering. Pdf attitudes towards software piracy in south africa. The general definition of the word ethics defines the elements important to humans morals. This model defines four internal processes that result in external moral behavior. Digital piracy is an interesting crime to analyze because its much more detached than some other crimes. Software piracy is any unauthorized use andor distribution of software. Specifically, all members of the ita are committed to act in a professional manner in their relationships with their customers. Moral intensity regarding software piracy has been argued to be related to the extent of software piracy.