Software Piracy – A terrible barrier in IT Sector’s Development

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Now, we turn our attention to a serious issue of Software piracy which is, an illegal reproduction and unauthorized distribution of software applications, whether for business or personal use. The private sector is struggling to fight against piracy, therefore, the government must devote resources to counter software piracy and develop means not only to report piracy but take necessary and strict legal actions as well. It is the government’s responsibility to make and implement such policies that shun software piracy as it threatens the economy with little or no foreign and domestic investment. Software is considered intellectual property whose ownership is controlled by license agreements. Software licenses are legal documents describing the proper use and distribution of the software, as intended by the manufacturers, and provide the manufacturers with the revenue necessary to continue producing the software, and offering the service and support to legitimate users. By using licensed software, one is ensured that the products are fully supported, reliable, and that critical updates are available when needed. Purchasing from known and trusted sources and avoiding pirated, cheap and sometimes even free deals is the best way to avoid wasting valuable time and money on counterfeit or infringing software as the pirated softwares lack key elements and documentation, and come with no warranty protection or upgrade options and are untested for viruses. Using pirated software at work puts the entire company at risk for copyright infringement while also wasting company resources and driving up IT costs if found to be either dysfunctional or containing viruses.

The illegal duplication and distribution of software has a significant impact on the economy costing jobs and governmental tax losses so, the Pakistani government should seriously attempt to solve the software piracy issue and must make and strictly enforce copyright act and policies that give confidence to software vendors and ultimately allow them a free and clean environment to invest and earn.

On the other hand, mega corporations like Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, etc. should realize the limitation on buying powers & budgetary constraints and should offer special pricing for markets of the developing countries like Pakistan.