Examples of software piracy cases

In this quest, the company announced Tuesday that it settled 3, software piracy cases worldwide in the past year. Thirty-five of these cases were in the U. Microsoft said that the majority of its piracy cases got started because of tips from its customers.

Typically, people report counterfeit software to Microsoft after they find malware and viruses on the items they bought or if the software didn't work correctly. According to Microsoft, , customers have reported pirated software to the company since What is Software Piracy? How much do IT companies lose to different types of software piracy?

Knowing these dangers is a key reason for people to understand what software piracy is and the potential pitfalls they could encounter if they use pirated software What are some of the most common types of software piracy?

What are some common software piracy examples? There are plenty of types of software piracy, some more well known than others, including: Counterfeiting End-user piracy Internet piracy Hard disk loading Client-server overuse Counterfeiting Counterfeiting, or illegally copying and distributing or selling copyrighted material, is the first thing most people would say if they were asked what is software piracy?

End-User Piracy Another common software piracy example happens when people make copies of a piece of software or use software licensed for a single user on multiple computers.

Hard Disk Loading Another software piracy example is known as hard disk loading. Client-Server Overuse Similar to end-user piracy, client-server overuse is another of the types of software piracy that occurs when the number of users who are using a particular software exceeds the number of licenses a company has for it.

CPL Thales software protection techniques Although it might seem impossible to stay ahead of the software pirates, CPL Thales has a range of security and software licensing solutions that offer effective defense against an array of software piracy examples. Sentinel HL Hardware Keys Sentinel HL Hardware Keys give easy access to out-of-the-box license models that can be seamlessly updated in the field, all within a secure, compact, and robust token.

Read More. Maximize the value of your software. In many cases, the same registration codes were resold several times to unwitting customers. If Microsoft or Adobe detected the code's reuse and disabled the software, the seller would simply offer the customer a new stolen code. As part of the scheme, one of the six defendants, year-old Maryland man Reza Davachi, used a non-profit business called Project Contact Africa, which sold both his own and Ross's pirated software through an eBay store.

By telling eBay that the business was a charitable organization and falsely promising customers that percent of sales went to an African aid project, Davachi boosted his revenue and also convinced eBay to take smaller fees on each sale. Even if software pirates are not making a profit from the software, as in the example above, it is still illegal. The rules protecting software apply on the Internet just as they due to more traditional media. Copyright and other intellectual property laws protect software created, posted and traded on the Internet.

Internet service providers ISPs may be liable for copyright infringement if their users illegally copy or distribute software, through downloading, uploading or transmitting software files without the copyright owners' authorization and they fail to avail themselves of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Web Pirates Punished Judges routinely hand down tough sentences for software piracy.

Three major software pirates were charged with criminal copyright infringement for their involvement in the manufacture and widespread distribution of pirated software.

Ferrar and his co-conspirators operated the www. At the time of sentencing, this was the longest prison term ever handed down in a software piracy case.

Ferrar also agreed to surrender the proceeds of sales of two fire trucks that were also bought with his illegal proceeds. Less than a month later, Ferrar's record prison term was shattered when Nathan Peterson, owner and operator of iBackups was sentenced to 87 months 7 years, 3 months in prison for his crimes. Peterson had previously pled guilty to two counts of criminal copyright infringement. Working on behalf of its members, SIIA first alerted the FBI of possible software piracy by Peterson and subsequently worked with investigators and prosecutors to assure that Peterson's operation was stopped and that he was properly punished.

It is, however, illegal to resell such copies.