Software piracy is one of the most commonly recognized controversies within information systems technology and poses varying ethical dilemmas. This topic sparked an interest within our group in wanting to determine, and explore the current extent of Software Piracy; in addition to understanding the motivations behind it. With numerous open-source solutions available to fulfil a large number of software requirements, the continued piracy of known systems and applications (particularly in light of the way in which new restrictions and methods of activation are now in place) appears to be counterintuitive.
In our report, there are several conflicting arguments we will examine, beginning with the citing of the First Amendment as a means of protecting software piracy. Moreover, if the ability to post information electronically is protected, why is it routinely being cited? It appears to be an attempt by the piracy violators to subvert the original purpose of this amendment to suit their own justifications, or is it? These, along with the proposed questions that follow, will serve to introduce the background, and a broad context of ethical issues pertaining to software piracy.
The three critically important questions that will be addressed regarding the ethical issues in software piracy are:
What are the most common forms of software piracy? Name 3 common forms of software piracy.