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1995-01-03
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Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1992 10:05:58 (CDT)
From: CuD Moderators <tk0jut2@mvs.cso.niu.edu)
Subject: File 7--"Piracy:" Overstated? (Chic Tribune summary)
Summary from:
"Yes, Piracy's Illegal, But not the Scourge it's Cracked up to be"
Chicago Tribune, August 9, 1992 (Section 7, p. 7)
By T.R. Reid and Brit Hume
Sunday Tribune computer columnists Reid and Hume challenged what they
call one of the software industry's "periodic public relations
campaigns to get people to believe it's being robbed blind by software
pirates." They poked a bit of fun at a New York Time's front page
story dramatizing the "scourge," noting that the industry's claim that
pirates steal up to half of the annual total sales of $5.7 billion is
"almost certainly rot.
The $2.4 billion estimate of purloined software apparently comes from
a figure given out by the SPA (Software Publisher's Association) in
1990. The SPA has increased this figure dramatically in 1992 (see next
issue of CuD). As Reid and Hume correctly comment, "there is simply no
way the software industry can estimate accurately how many illegal
copies there are, and even if it could, it couldn't possibly determine
how many of them represent lost sales."
Reid and Hume continue, making several points that pirates would agree
with:
1. If you use a program, you should pay for it. Reid and Hume are a
bit more adamant in their claim that that it's *not* ok to pirate
software (a point on which pirates take exception). But, there is
strong consensus among "elite" pirates that, as Reid and Hume argue,
"it's particularly dishonest to use a stolen program for commercial
purposes." Elite pirates might phrase it a bit differently:
"Bootleggers are scum."
2. Sharing software can enhance sales. Reid and Hume argue that those
who obtain an unpurchased copy of software that they like and use may
find updates, instructions, and on-line help well worth the purchase.
They also note that the shareware concept, based on free distribution
of programs, has thrived and has made programmers quite successful.
(See the September, '92, issue of Boardwatch Magazine, for a story on
software industry awards).
3. They, as do most elite pirates, strongly condemn the practice of
copying an authorized program in a business and sharing it around to
avoid the site license fees.
4. The pre-purchase use of software is "not such a bad thing" because
it can help sales. It also provides users a chance to compare the most
expensive programs, such as word processors, databases, spread sheets,
and graphics programs, all of which are major expenditures for most
users. It makes no sense to spend $480 to purchase dBase when Foxbase
may be more suited to one's needs.
The columnists fall short of advocating responsible piracy, and they
make it clear that they oppose unauthorized copying for profit or
"free use" simply to avoid paying for a product that will be used.
But it is refreshing to see the mainstream press begin to challenge
the claims, and hopefully eventually the practices, of the SPA and
others who associate "piracy" with "theft" and would rather
criminalize the practice rather than take a more prudent approach to
creative software sharing.
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