Internet Software Piracy

What Does Internet Software Piracy Mean?

Internet software piracy refers to any illegal and/or unauthorized use of electronic copyrighted materials through deliberate copying and/or distribution, whether deliberately or not, or for profit/not for profit.

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Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing systems are the primary culprit in Internet software piracy. Counterfeit software sold through online auction sites is another form of Internet software piracy. Internet software piracy occurs any time the Internet is used for the express purposes of selling, sharing or otherwise acquiring protected creative works.

Techopedia Explains Internet Software Piracy

Internet software piracy covers a very broad realm. Proper licensing must be secured for the copying, distribution or use of copyrighted digital materials.

Internet software piracy is a crime that is nearly impossible to control. However, it is on the rise, as perpetrator efforts become more clandestine and varied. Both malicious and deliberate users of digitally protected copyrighted materials can be pursued and caught through anti-piracy stings conducted by the FBI and other government agencies.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…