Piracy is an increasing problem. This article looks at the reasons why people should not pirate software, music and applications. Many programs such as bit torrent and Kazaa are not reliable.
1. No guarantees:
There are no guarantees that the product you have bought will work. Many software that are pirated may feature glitches. Many individuals as a result have a hard a time bringing it back for a refund or exchange.
2. Robbery:
The ethical issue relates to robbery. You are robbing the person who wrote and created the product of his/her rights. It’s like plagiarism when someone takes your work and submits it as theirs. You get no credit!
3. Sued:
There have been various cases where copyright infringers were sued for 1000s of dollars. In the United States there were two cases where this happened. Corbin Fisher, a porno production company sued bit torrent users for robbing them of their fortune. Universal Media Group also sued a company for pirating recordings of 100,000 songs.
4. Breaking the Law:
The reason why people get sued and lose is because they are technically breaking the law. A judge would not rule in the company’s favour if you were not. You are risking being charged thousands for something that costs $50-$400.
5. Viruses:
Many products and downloads come with viruses and spyware. You can never trust the program from some you do not know.
6. Options:
Many people fail to realize the wide options they have. There are alternatives to using products like Microsoft and buying CDs etc. Open Office for example is free and is a useful software that could supplement Microsoft Office. iTunes is also much cheaper than CDs bought in stores. At least you will not be sued for using the products.
7. Problems:
Companies have cracked down and created preventative measures to stop piracy. For example, you may not be allowed to download and use Microsoft Office without a key. The key will not be able to work and used on 1000+ computers.
8. Support:
If something goes wrong, there is no support. You are on your own and you may spend more money to fix the problem.
9. Taking away small business income:
Many software programs are created by small businesses. By pirating the product, you may be taking away a person’s income. For example, one company distributed a study guide for a test in the form of a pdf file. The pdf file was then distributed amongst others, yet no credit was given to the company.
10. Advancement:
The money that the company earns for products goes to development. No money, no development or progress.
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