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Software Piracy And Its Effects On The Global Economy

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Over time, modern-day society has experienced an exponential growth in theft and dishonest behavior. Alongside the development and evolution of technology, individuals are continually strategizing criminal activity of the next generation. More specifically, cybercrime, or a crime committed via the internet or computer network, has gained popularity (Microsoft News Center, 2013). With the click of a button, individuals are able to obtain unlawful copies of software, personal information, identities, and copyrighted content. Widely recognized, software piracy has become an attractive alternative for individuals who do not wish to pay for various types of licensed software or programs. The large population and intelligence of software pirates …show more content…

In an effort to protect the intellectual property of developers, companies place copyright restraints on distributed software and applications. By purchasing programs, computer users contribute to software development, acknowledging and compensating program designers for their work. Computer users who properly purchase software contribute to the salary of developers, revenue of companies, and growth of the economy (Andrés & Goel, 2012). Nonetheless, software pirates avoid paying for software and programs. According to the Microsoft Corporation, end-user fraud, pre-installed software theft, illegal software downloads, software counterfeiting, and online software auctioning are all considered to be forms of software piracy (“How Piracy Affects You,” 2015). The ignorance and selfishness of software pirates pose significant risks to software developers, for software companies are often forced to downsize as a result of revenue loss. Innocent developers are eliminated from the workforce as a direct result of illegal software reproduction and distribution. Software pirates jeopardize the employment, salary, and intellectual property rights of developers. In order to combat software piracy, companies will frequently direct the focus of software development to software protection. As a result of changing priorities, companies face substantial additional losses in

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