People who illegally download
movies also love going to the cinema and do not mind paying to watch films,
research has shown. Those who illegally download movies are more likely to be
wealthier and less worried about being caught than their music counterparts,
concluded the study, and thought to be the first to examine the differences
between movie and music pirates.
Movie pirates
are also more likely to cut down their piracy if they feel they are harming the
industry compared with people who illegally download music.
Software piracy can take the following forms:
End-User Piracy
Examples of end-user piracy include:
·
Installing and using software on the machine of an individual who is not
the licensed user
·
Over-installing software for use beyond the licensed quantity
·
Using the software on more “designated computers” than you are licensed
for
·
Installing the software on a local-area network for use by individuals
who are not licensed users
·
Using the software in unauthorized geographical regions
·
Acquiring academic or student software for commercial use
Internet Piracy
Internet piracy occurs when users download software
from the Internet. The same purchasing rules apply to online software purchase
as to those bought in traditional ways. Examples:
·
Pirate Web sites that make software available for free download, or that
post cracked passcodes
·
Internet auction sites that offer counterfeit, out-of-channel, or
copyright-infringing software
·
Peer-to-peer networks that enable unauthorized transfer of copyrighted
programs
Software Counterfeiting
This type of piracy is the illegal duplication and sale of copyrighted
material with the intent to directly imitate the copyrighted product. In the
case of packaged software, counterfeit versions often include copies of CDs or
diskettes containing the software programs, as well as related packaging,
manuals, license agreements, labels, registration cards, and security features.
Developing software is a team effort that involves the creative ideas
and talents of development engineers, writers, and designers. Computer
software, just like other creative works, is protected by U.S copyright laws,
U.S. code Title 17 and 18.
Our goal is to accelerate the pace of discovery, innovation,
development, and learning in engineering and science through the software we
create. To this end, we make substantial and continuing research and
development efforts, which are funded through the sales of our software
products.
Software piracy hurts everyone because it:
·
Reduces the funding for ongoing development efforts
·
Reduces job opportunities
·
Allows for unauthorized copies of our software that may contain bugs and
viruses to be used in the field
·
Prevents users from getting high-quality technical support and product
updates
Piracy is not only a problem for MathWorks. It is an industry and
worldwide issue. According to the BSA, Thirty-five percent of the packaged
software installed on personal computers (PC) worldwide in 2005 was illegal,
amounting to $34 billion in global losses due to software piracy.
Software Piracy is stealing. If you or your company were caught pirating
software, you could be held liable under both civil and criminal law. If a
copyright owner brings a civil action against you, the penalties in the U.S.
may be up to $150,000 for each program copied. The U.S. government can also criminally
prosecute you. If you are convicted, you can be fined up to $250,000, sentenced
to jail for up to five years, or both.
There are several good ways to keep track of your
licenses and users:
·
Use available software asset management systems, audit tools, and other
resources to help you ensure software compliance
·
Educate your staff on the licensing requirements of your software
purchases
·
Conduct a self-audit of your software licenses
·
Acquire any licenses needed for full compliance
MathWorks has formed a License Compliance Team to
help educate our customers on the legal use of software licenses and to
coordinate our anti-piracy efforts. The team's activities include:
·
Developing customer communications on the legal use of our software
licenses
·
Working with individual customers to resolve licensing concerns
·
Participating in the Business Software Alliance (BSA), an organization
dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world
·
Instituting Student Version product activation and
Professional Version product activation
·
License Compliance Audits - Like many software companies, and consistent
with the MathWorks software license agreement, MathWorks uses
a license compliance audit process, assisted by an independent third-party
auditing firm. Selected customers are notified in advance to discuss audit
timing and procedures - this is done in a manner to minimize the impact to
daily operations during the process.
