Why Software Piracy Should Be Legalized - Essay Example

Why Software Piracy Should Be Legalized Software piracy or copyright infringement is a major problem being faced worldwide especially by the software developers or companies. Generally, software piracy can be defined as unauthorized use, copying, or reproduction of commercial software, without really paying for the content.1 Forms of software piracy include CD infringement, counterfeiting, and Internet infringement among others.2 Arguably, many people view software piracy as being illegal claiming that any pirated piece of software affects company’s profitability, and reduce funds for further software development initiatives.

Piracy is inevitable because the equipments used in pirating like CD recording devices are readily available and this gives pirates easy access to copy and reproduce certain files. The issue of whether software piracy is legal or illegal has created a heated debate with the supporters arguing that software piracy should be allowed whereas others condemn software piracy. This paper presents an argument for software piracy specifically discusses three possible reasons to support software piracy.

The cost of some software applications cannot accommodate all income groups since some software might be too expensive making pirating of the software and reselling it to the potential users seem like empowering them.3 Moreover, pirates claim that software costs are too high and so according to them; software piracy is something that should be allowed.4 Others justify the use and distribution of pirated files claiming that by using file sharing networks, they are using the copy as a preview and this mean no harm to the company.

Furthermore, they claim that copying and downloading software is not a theft because it is just a copy and the original one remains. Research shows that the cost of some of the software applications like video games is the major factor behind software piracy. According the pirates, they are assisting others who cannot afford these applications to make contact with the cultures of the world easily. Software piracy is very important for historical purposes since according to Edwards copyright laws can prevent future access to cultural history.

This is because piracy makes foreign game libraries easily available for historians to study and that without piracy some games would have disappeared because pirating helps in retaining them.5 Moreover, “software pirates promote data survival through ubiquity and media independence” and he claims that ‘many cultural touchstones of a generation would have become extinct due to greed over media’. Most programs published in fading disks would have disappeared forever if copyright law was obeyed because with this, no copy would have been made to continue keeping these programs.

Therefore, piracy is very important since it enables valuable information to be stored and retrieved at any given time. In addition, software piracy makes access to information easier to all, that is, just like those who purchase the software; pirates should also have equal access to the information. Through piracy, one can easily access the inaccessible information and discover the unknown.6 According to Lee, piracy enables individuals to discover media information that they would never have known.

In addition, through piracy some television shows still exists and without the act of piracy, these shows would have faded away into obscurity. Moreover, for those living in remote areas where they cannot catch up with the latest updates, piracy is the only way out to discover any information or updates they are interested in. On the other hand, software piracy harms people as it results to increase in price for duly licensed users, reduced support, thereby delaying innovation and new development of new software products for customers.

7 Everyone should be aware of the legal implications of unauthorized software use, for instance, according to Copyright Act, illegal reproduction of any software leads to criminal penalties and even imprisonment. Therefore, people have been advised to purchase those software packages they need for work or personal use because with legal software copies, they can easily have user support and avoid severe legal penalties. Many do not support software piracy because these software companies use a lot of money and much of their time creating new software products and they therefore, deserve fair compensation for their efforts and devoted time not pirating.

In conclusion, software piracy is seen as illegal practice that take place is various forms and by different groups of people. Well, for now, based on the currents laws, software piracy is illegal but again, it has some benefits. Those who support software piracy incite high cost of some software, right to have an access to information and discover new updates among others to be some of its benefits. Indeed, this according to pirates makes it right to obtain pirated music or movie files illegally, or any other information they need.

Works Cited Abu-Arafah, Ahmad. The Ethical and Economical Arguments against Software Piracy. 2005. Web. 14 October 2013 Albanese, Jay S. Combating Piracy: Intellectual Property Theft and Fraud. New Brunswick, N.J: Transaction Publishers, 2007. Print. Edwards, Benj. Why History Needs Software Piracy. 2012. Web. 14 October 2013 Lee Joel. 4 Ways in Which Internet Piracy Can Be a Good Thing [Opinion].2012. Web. 14 October 2013 Zamoon Shariffah. Software Piracy: Neutralization Techniques that Circumvent Ethical Decision-making.

ProQuest, 2006. Print.