Data Piracy

Legal And Ethical Aspects Of Computer Science

Introduction:

So what is digital piracy? Imagine you spent a great amount of your time, effort and resources developing a highly advanced, new software that you are certain will generate you a conglomerate of revenue, prestige, recognition etc. You eventually finish this project and follow all the correct steps including getting it copyrighted making sure that no one will be able to pass off your hard work as their own. After all this you come to find out that someone or something whether it be a person or corporation has stolen your work and has been either downloading or distributing your new software as their own, is this ethical or fair? This opens up a plethora of legal issues and disputes you must take care of even though you had your software copyrighted, this is also what we call digital or online piracy. Digital or online piracy is the act of downloading and or distributing copyrighted material and intellectual property without paying or asking proper permission for it. It takes away all the hard genuine work a person has done and disregards it completely.

Thesis:

Digital or Online Piracy is completely unethical and unfair due to the simple fact that it is theft. The notion that it is a victimless crime or doesn’t hurt anybody is completely null for the simple reason that you are utilizing or consuming someone’s hard work without paying for it. Digital piracy negatively affects businesses, jobs, and helps criminals spread malware, it affects everyone at every level involved and it is completely unethical.