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IP Outreach Research > IP Crime

Reference

Title: Unauthorized Copying of Software - An Empirical Study of Reasons For and Against
Author: Mikko T Siponen [University of Oulu] and Tero Vartiainen [Turku School of Economics]
Source:

SIGCAS Computers and Society 37, no. 1: 30-43
Year: 2007

Details

Subject/Type: Piracy
Focus: Software
Country/Territory: Finland
Objective: To enquire about the reasons why some computer users choose to illegally copy software.
Sample: 249 computing students
Methodology: Questionnaire

Main Findings

The top reason given for unauthorised software copying was by a large margin "software is expensive"; other important reasons given are: "minimum risk of getting caught", "it is easy" and "everyone else does it". Interestingly, over half of the respondents who regarded software copying as acceptable would change their viewpoint if their income were dependent on software development. Respondents considering unauthorised software copying unacceptable perceived it so because "it is illegal". Few considered it an "immoral act".

Rationales given for software copying were related to the purpose of use (only to maintain professional knowledge, no intention to buy it anyway, etc), economical issues (too poor to buy software, saving money) and legal reasons (not banned by the law, law out of date). Rationales given against software piracy included three categories: negative consequences (negative effect on future software quality, price hikes), moral and legal reasons (immorality and illegality).

Based on their research, the study's authors make three recommendations: consider students' real-life reasons for and against software piracy and include them in computer ethics education; force students to think about piracy from a software developer's viewpoint; anti-piracy organisations should take note of the fact that not every pirate is motivated by economic gain and that only about a fourth of the people copying software do so because of a perceived absence of sanctions.

[Date Added: Aug 12, 2008 ]

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