Excuses for software piracy
Over the years, I have become an active fighter against software and music piracy over the Internet. Even if it’s immaterial, piracy is still stealing. It is a crime. There is no excuse for it. Here’s a collection of excuses most used by people to justify their actions.
I don’t have the money to pay for it. I don’t make as much money as an American or Western European. I am just a student.
Not enough money, eh? Then, the software product you have stolen is out of your league. It is a luxury you cannot afford. You don’t get to travel with a limousine for free if you can’t afford it; you take the bus or walk. Perhaps you should sell the computer and use your time to get a better paid job or look for software you can afford.
Microsoft/Symantec/Sony Records/The company you stole from has enough money already, they won’t go bankrupt if I don’t pay the $10/$50/$500/$2000 license. I’m allowed to steal while they are still making a profit.
The company has worked hard to complete the product you have stolen. Their financial results are none of your concern. The basic rule is that you must pay the price to be allowed to use it, and this rule applies to all people, not just for the wealthy or until the company’s costs are paid for.
It’s too expensive. If it was cheaper, I would have paid for it. But $1995 for a single user license? Come on…
The price of the product you have stolen is not determined on the market by supply and demand rules; the product is available from a single producer, which sets the price as high or as low as wanted. Your choice as a consumer is to accept to pay the price for the product, or to find another similar yet cheaper product. This isn’t the grocery market, to bargain on what price you would agree on. And the price justifies not only the amount of work put into the product, but also how much it helps you complete your work. The more powerful, productive and helpful the program is, the more it will value.
Why should I stop stealing software/music when others continue to do it? Don’t tell me that you never ever ilegally downloaded some music or software off the Internet, are you some kind of saint to judge me?
Law doesn’t care if someone else is doing the same thing; it only matters if you broke the law or not. You are not entitled to shoot others just because other people commit murders somewhere on the planet every day. You are not allowed to steal because others are doing it, too.
But it’s legal in Canada!
Believe it or not, two people have actually told me this! Almost all countries have copyright laws, and if they don’t, there are international treaties that deal with intellectual property rights and software or music piracy. So, unless you live in a hole, it’s likely that downloading music, software, movies or other copyrighted materials without the right to do so (right acquired by purchasing the license) is illegal.
Reasons for not participating in online piracy? How about not breaking the law and keeping your criminal record clean? How about not becoming the sex slave of every criminal in prison? A piece of advice: don’t drop the soap in prison showers when Bubba is around.
There is absolutely no excuse for stealing. You wouldn’t like others to benefit from your work for free either. It’s not a matter of “if,” but “when” you will get caught and prosecuted. Law enforcement agents are heavily monitoring the Internet these days now: peer-to-peer networks, web sites, even chat programs like IRC networks. You will get busted! Show some maturity and stop using such childish excuses to justify your illegal actions. You know what you’re doing is bad; save your pathetic stories for the judge, I’m sure he or she loves a good laugh every once in a while.
