How does software piracy occur?
There are several ways in which software can be pirated. Counterfeiting occurs whenever software is duplicated and sold by a person and in a manner not authorized by the owner as if it were the genuine article. Softlifting occurs whenever a single copy of the genuine article is purchased but it is then copied onto several computers, contrary to the terms of the license agreement. Hard-disk loading occurs when you purchase a computer which already has software copied onto its hard disk, contrary to the terms of the manufacturer’s licensing agreement. A “certificate of authenticity” is not a license agreement. Bulletin-board piracy occurs when software is placed on a BBS (Bulletin Board Service — on the Internet) and it is downloaded onto a hard disk, contrary to the terms of the manufacturer’s licensing agreement.2 Software rental occurs when software is rented or borrowed (like a videotape) for temporary use, contrary to the terms of the licensing agreement.3 Pirating can occur whenev
