IP Outreach Research > IP Crime
Reference
| Title: | Trends and patterns among online software pirates |
| Author: | Sameer Hinduja [Michigan State University] |
| Source: | Ethics and Information Technology 5, no. 1: 49-61 |
| Year: | 2003 |
Details
| Subject/Type: | Piracy |
| Focus: | Software |
| Country/Territory: | United States of America |
| Objective: | To examine the degree of participation in piracy and demographic characteristics of university students involved in software piracy. |
| Sample: | 433 students at a large Midwestern university |
| Methodology: | Questionnaire |
Main Findings
Sameer Hinduja's student-based research data indicate that piracy incidence is higher among males than females, that Asian respondents seem more inclined to engage in piracy activities than any other race, that the financial status of a student is likely irrelevant to the practice of software piracy and that senior students pirate more, while junior students appear deeper immersed in the piracy scene. The greater the variety and proficiency of Internet use, the more likely users are to engage in online piracy.
Almost half of the students surveyed affirmed that they did "not feel guilty about pirating software" and a further 25% chose "undecided". 51.3% of all respondents did not consider piracy "improper" or "intrinsically wrong". Moreover, over a third believed that they would likely never be sanctioned for their copyright infringements committed and seemed unconcerned about possible sanctions, with well over half of the students indifferent to possible legal repercussions and fines.
Technological and ethical solutions recommended include: ethical reminders with an "OK" button indicating agreement with an "Acceptable Internet Use" (AIU) policy for campus networks; server-side license verification architectures; clear ethical codes delineating unethical and illegal computer behaviour and its consequences; informing students about regular occurrences of piracy detection; placing shortcuts to AIU policies and organisations dedicated to combating piracy; increasing recognition of intellectual property issues and relational interaction between universities and the IT industry, particularly with these developing software.
[Date Added: Aug 12, 2008 ]