Software Piracy: Possible Causes and Cures

Abstract

Software piracy costs the information technology industry billions of dollars in lost sales each year. This chapter presents an overview of the software piracy issue, including a review of the ethical principles involved and a summary of the latest research. In order to better illustrate some of the material presented, the results of a small research study in the country of Jordan are presented. The findings indicate that piracy among computer-using professionals is high, and that cost is a significant factor in the decision to pirate. Finally, some potential preventative mechanisms are discussed, in the context of the material presented previously in the chapter.