IP Outreach Research > IP Crime
Reference
| Title: | Software piracy among computing students: a Bruneian scenario |
| Author: | Md Mahbubur Rahim, Afzaal H Seyal and Mohd Noah Abd Rahman [Institute Technology Brunei] |
| Source: | Computers & Education 32, no. 4: 301-321 |
| Year: | 1999 |
Details
| Subject/Type: | Piracy |
| Focus: | Software |
| Country/Territory: | Brunei Darussalam |
| Objective: | To investigate why and what proportion of the computing students in a South East Asian country like Brunei Darussalam use pirated software. |
| Sample: | 91 computing students from all higher educational institutes in Brunei Darussalam |
| Methodology: | Questionnaire |
Main Findings
64% of surveyed students admitted to having used pirated copies of software. One third (34%) reported that they had let someone else copy software they had acquired legally. Tasks performed with pirated software include: entertainment (95% of those pirating software), followed by class assignments (50%), and by developing non-academic applications (33%).
Reasons given for using pirated software for class assignments were: “original software is available in the department, but there is little access” (72% of those pirating software for class assignments), and “original software not available in the department” (38%). Introducing software copyright laws in Brunei Darussalam was supported by 56% of respondents; pirates and non-pirates were equally supportive of copyright law introduction.
Gender, PC ownership and computer experience of students were found to influence the use of pirated software: male students, students owning a PC, and computer-experienced students were the most likely to use pirated software. Parental income and institutional parameters (type, location and piracy attitudes of the educational institution) did not have any impact.
The authors recommend that: academic institutions adopt generous software budgets so that students can find software legally available on campus and will not have to look for pirated software; IT-related ethics be included in computing course curricula so as to raise awareness concerning ethical practices, and change attitudes; a code of ethics be introduced by academic institutions, to be read and signed upon enrolment; implementation of such a code of ethics lie with faculty members (by providing advice, by not accepting assignments/projects developed using pirated software); financial institutions offer not only credit schemes for hardware, but also for software purchases.
[Date Added: Oct 22, 2008 ]