The Many Faces of Software Piracy

Counterfeiting—the illegal duplicating and selling of copyrighted software CD-ROMs—is only one form of software piracy. Other types of piracy include the following:

Softlifting is the practice of purchasing a single licensed copy and loading it on several computers. This practice is common in institutional, educational, and corporate environments.

Uploading and downloading involves making unauthorized copies of software available to others, usually on a Web site or an Internet newsgroup, or via e-mail. Home and small office users with no budget for software, users who will try anything as long as it is free, and serious users who want to try full versions of software without being in a formal evaluation or beta program may all opt to download an unlicensed version.

OEM unbundling involves selling as stand-alone software a disc that is intended to be sold only with a new computer. Users who want to upgrade their operating system may get a good price on “spare” OEM discs that originally shipped with new computers, purchasing them from a friend or at an Internet auction. Small computer system builders can purchase operating system discs from Microsoft or authorized resellers for inclusion with their machines, but they save money if they bypass these legal channels and purchase OEM discs that are surplus to a business’s requirements, from an enterprising system administrator or systems integrator, for example.