Types of Software Thieves

Keet (1985, pp. 117–118) says there are five types of software piracy thieves:

• The individual who makes a copy of someone else's program
• The dealer or distributor who "throws in" a "free" copy of some software in order to sell hardware
• The competitor, ex-employee, or agent who uses an illicit copy of the software to develop a competing derivative product
• The noncommercial, but organized, "shadow" distribution networks (usually computer clubs but more frequently corporations) who distribute copies of software to their employees
• The serious "pirate" who mass-reproduces and markets unauthorized copies of a legitimate product

This makes software piracy policing difficult. Software manufacturers started policing activities by "placing a notice in or on the package or manual supplied with the software limiting the user in what he or she can do to or with the program" (Thomas, 1985, p. 136). However, many users ignore these notices. Additionally, Thomas (1985, p. 137) says, "There is no way to prove that the purchaser actually saw the limitations or that he or she agreed to them." He further states that it is difficult to legally restrict or control what is done with software after it has been purchased.