Is Software Piracy a problem?

Personally, I have always thought that using pirated software was ok, mainly because I wasn’t using the software to make any money. I kept telling myself that I don’t download music illegally, so I should be able to borrow and use free software. I understand that downloading music illegally takes away profits from the musician, which is why I purchase songs that I like on iTunes and from various music stores. We always hear how much money software creators have; therefore I don’t feel bad when I decide to use their creations without paying for them. After attending lectures and tutorials I am starting to think differently.

I found an article online that discusses the problem of software piracy. (http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/news/2003/04/58306) It explains that if “the piracy rate dropped to 30 percent, economic growth could increase by $400 billion and it would create 1.5 million jobs and generate $64 billion in taxes. That is alot of jobs that could be created if people didn’t use pirated software. I just think that software creators and companies need to think of a new way to distribute their products. Gaining access to a pirated version of nearly every software is extremely easy, and since it’s so easy, people choose to use them. Another contributing factor to why software piracy is so high is because of the software prices. Most everyday people can’t afford to buy a $2000 copy of Final cut pro deluxe edition. Maybe some kind of online renting option should be created for people that do not intend on using software to benefit them financially.

The article goes onto to say that they believe they can stop a high percentage of people from pirating software by simply just raising awareness. Kruger states, “There's a moral and ethical reason for respecting people’s intellectual property rights. They deserve to receive a return on their investment”. From spending time thinking about this topic of software piracy, I now see how unfair it is to the creators of the product. From now on I won’t be downloading any more pirated software.