What are the penalties?
There are significant financial and legal penalties for software piracy. Illegal distribution and use of software can result in prison terms of up to five years, and felony charges with fines up to US$250,000. In civil litigation against those who illegally distribute Adobe software, Adobe can obtain the higher of its lost profits, the infringer’s profits, or statutory damages of up to $US150,000 per product infringed, plus Adobe’s attorney fees. But the costs are not measured in dollars alone. When organizations are legally prosecuted for software piracy, they also suffer significant damage to their reputation.