Its a Knockoff World

Software technology is plagued by the problem of digital piracythe illegal copying and/or distribution of software for personal or business use. An explosive issue, it increasingly cuts to the perception, protection, and enforcement of intellectual property rights. Presently software piracy ranges from a single individuals making an unauthorized copy of a software product for use, sale, or free distribution to a companys mismanagement of its software license. Principal types of piracy include: end-user piracy, pre-installed software, Internet piracy, counterfeiting, and online auction piracy. Countries where piracy rates were the highest in 2008 include Georgia, Bangladesh, Armenia, and Zimbabwe. Countries where piracy rates were the lowest in 2008 include the United States (20%), Japan (21%), Luxembourg (21%) and New Zealand (22%). The pervasiveness and tenacity of software piracy in the face of an ever-expanding set of intellectual property rights laws, policies, and treaties raises profound questions for the software industry in particular and intellectual property rights in general. The case ends with a legitimate question questioning the inevitability of piracy.

Questions

3-3 Would you expect piracy to thrive in a democracy or authoritarian state? Why?

3-4 Can you envision a scenario where developers and consumers of IP develop a relationship that eliminates the profitability of piracy?

3-5 Put yourself in the place of a poor individual in a poor country struggling to improve the quality of your life. What thoughts might shape how you interpret the legality of IPRs?