Good Essay On Software Piracy

There is a lot to be said about our world and the digital society that we live in. In light of recent events with Sony Pictures, consumers are asking themselves one very important question: Is my information safe? However, consumers aren’t the only ones asking this question. Many organizations must take into account the safety of their information as well. Software piracy or unauthorized product reproduction is a problem all over the world. For the purpose of this paper the focus will be on software piracy and what organizations can do to mitigate the problem.
Remember Napster? This company allowed users all over the world to copy, share and download music at no cost to the consumer, and without the artists permission. It was evident with the emergence of companies such as Napster that both business practices and copyright laws needed to change. Businesses are losing money everyday due to software piracy. Anyone with a laptop and a decent knowledge of software can copy a product for sale or even private use. Apple alone reports that “more than $11 billion is lost to piracy every year.” Companies such as Business Software Alliance (BSA) and the Software Information Industry Association (SIIA) work with businesses worldwide to help them protect their assets.
Technology is making rapid advances everyday. Products are easier to purchase, it’s become easier to connect with friends and family, and pretty much everything that you need to know can be found on the web. Even though consumers and users of digital media are finding life easier, there are other issues to consider as well. While digital arenas such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, iTunes, and Amazon create many possibilities, they also create many risks. Hacking, national security leaks, and piracy are only just the beginning of a worldwide discussion on what businesses are doing to protect their consumers and their products.
In order to mitigate the problem, organizations are beefing up software security, offering rewards to consumers who report instances of piracy, and companies like BSA offer links to help businesses manage the protection of their software. The common thread among most companies is to educate consumers on what to look out for, as well as educating them on what is legal. Most companies require the use of a username and password to access their products. Often this information is limited to one device or in the case of Apple, up to five devices. Companies are continuing to research the problem of global software piracy and ways to stop it. Countries all over the world need to be on the same page when it comes to solving the problem of software piracy. Juan Chavarria and Robert Morrison point out in their essay Revisiting Software Piracy Using GLOBE Cultural Practices that “there are nations that do not seem to adopt effective practices to control software piracy which may be part of an attitude to allow its society to have access to technology.” Practices such as these can be effective, but they still raise the question: Is this enough? With the ongoing sophistication of technology, and the ease with which software can be pirated, it may not be. The allure of purchasing a product that provides the same function as the original at a lesser cost is a powerful thing. Both businesses and consumers will still need to be watchful of pirated products, and considerate of the effect this problem might have on our already faulty economy.

Works Cited

Apple-Legal-Piracy Policy. Apple, Inc., 2015. Web. 14 Feb. 2015.
Chavarria, Juan and Robert Dean Morrison. “Revisiting Software Piracy Using GLOBE
Cultural Practices.” Academy of Information & Management Sciences Journal
17.1 (2014): 101-121. Web. 14 Feb. 2015.