Software piracy: Is it bad for the company?

@thebigk • Oct 26, 2024

Oct 26, 2024

1.0K

I've a new view to look at the software piracy. While lot of software companies lose huge amounts of revenues through software piracy, there's another part to it.

It results in locked-in customers!

Let me clarify -

Most of the people get hold of pirated copies of software [say Windows OS]. But once they do, they are stuck to Windows forever! For the same reason, I believe Windows controls over 90% of the desktop OS market.

Think about it - when a software is distributed, it doesn't 'cost' a buck to the software creator. But it helps in reaching lot of people at no cost.

I believe Microsoft Windows & Photoshop are probably the most pirated software in the world. I find them on almost all desktops.

Think about it and write your opinion!

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Anil Jain

@CrazyBoy • Oct 8, 2009

By reading the excerpt I am not sure are you supporting the Piracy or not?

My 2 cents on this, Piracy in any form is not good. I agree that, If somebody will use a pirated version of Photoshop or windows and if he gets used to it, microsoft / Adobe's total coverage will increase. If I will look at the other side of coin, why microsoft wants to increase the coverage.

For more business ?? For more money ??

By Piracy, they will not get a single penny. This is the reason they are implementing newer technologies to find out who are using the pirated version of software. If they find somebody, they immediately disabled that account and after that, that software system can not be used.

In Nut shell, piracy of any form is not good for any orgnization.

-CB
Kaustubh Katdare

@thebigk • Oct 8, 2009

I'm not supporting piracy. I'm presenting a view that tries to look at the positive side of it. I doubt Microsoft's OS [or Photoshop for that matter!] would have been so popular without piracy.
Mahesh Dahale

@mahesh-E2tZ3t • Oct 8, 2009

People pirate what is in demand
Piracy has been around since the printing press was invented. Moderate amounts of piracy in the private sector. I am against mass piracy in the corporate sector, but have fairly neutral feeling about piracy in the home,

Many consumers cannot see the harm in copying a piece of software
Different people feel differently about these types of issues.

#-Link-Snipped-#
Manish Goyal

@manish-r2Hoep • Oct 8, 2009

hey biggie
i agree with you 75 % but as computer science engineer .i will not be agreed..with you
since a lot of hard work is associated with a software
but as you are taking about locked in customer
THAT is the good buisness startegy that bill gates follow and the reason today approximately 80% desktop computer uses window.....
Ashraf HZ

@Ash • Oct 9, 2009

Mostly bad.

Firstly, Windows became popular was NOT because of piracy. It was because virtually all computer manufacturers preinstalled Windows OS in them. OEM versions are always cheaper than the retail versions. RTMs are probably even more so.

In addition, if one uses pirated versions of Windows, what other Microsoft software would they purchase? Since Office is a much more expensive software, they'll might as well pirate that too. Locked in customers or not, the opportunity costs of people who actually do have money to buy them but do not is quite high for Microsoft.
safwan

@safwan-NH7W5Y • Oct 10, 2009

Yes, it is Bad for company.
duncan_bayne

@duncan-bayne-ezY66X • Oct 28, 2009

It is bad for most companies; with a few exceptions, most software companies are prepared to pay in order to reduce the frequency with which their software is used without authorization.

If it wasn't bad for them, why would they pay?

The company I co-founded produces OffByZero Cobalt, a #-Link-Snipped-#. I am well aware of how much piracy can cost a company, and how keen most companies are to reduce or eliminate it.
callyD

@callyd-6BKFb3 • Nov 8, 2009

I don't support. Software piracy increases the risk consumer's computers will be corrupted by defective software and infected with viruses. Those who provide defective and illegal software do not tend to provide sales and technical support. But the biggest reason for piracy is that products are priced much higher than their actual value. It just encourages more people to convert to piracy.