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Digital Piracy

Article · January 2021

DOI: 10.51542/ijscia.v2i5.22

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 International Journal of Scientific Advances
ISSN: 2708-7972
Volume: 2 | Issue: 5 | Sep - Oct 2021 Available Online: www.ijscia.com
DOI: 10.51542/ijscia.v2i5.22

Digital Piracy
Matthew N. O. Sadiku1*, Tolulope J. Ashaolu2, Abayomi Ajayi-Majebi,3
and Sarhan M. Musa1
1Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX, USA
2College of Food Science, Southwest University, Beibei, Chongqing, P.R. China
3Department of Manufacturing Engineering, Central State University, Wilberforce, OH, USA

*Corresponding author details: Professor Matthew N. O. Sadiku; [email protected]

ABSTRACT
Digital refers to the practice of downloading and distributing copyrighted contents such as music, video,
software, and e-book without permission. It is a fact of life for book publishing industry, entertainment
industry, movie industry, television sector, film industry, etc. Piracy is regarded as a crime. Not only does piracy
hurts and cause economic loss to these companies, it also inhibits incentive to keep creating. Unfortunately,
there is no "silver bullet" solution to the problem of digital piracy. This paper provides an introduction to digital
piracy.

Keywords: digital piracy; online piracy; internet piracy; copyright infringement

INTRODUCTION
Piracy is the act of illegally reproducing or others download it or make money off of it for yourself.
distributing copyrighted materials such as computer
programs, books, music, and films. Before the advent of There are two rival views when discussing the ethics of
personal computers, most individuals did not have the illegal downloading. On the one hand, some so called
means to copy works in order to print books, press “fundamentalist libertarians” claim that all ideas and
records, or burn CD. They also did not have the ability to artistic creation should be held in common and be freely
distribute copies beyond their immediate circle of family accessible to all. On the other hand, the so-called
and friends [1]. “fundamentalist protectors” think that illegal downloading
is equivalent to common theft [3].
Piracy and copycats have been a major problem since the
dawn of digital age and the explosion of WWW (World WHAT IS DIGITAL PIRACY?
Wide Web). The fast adoption of the Internet and the Digital piracy, also known as online piracy or Internet
digitization of information products have led an increasing piracy, refers to the unauthorized creation, distribution,
number of consumers to copy and distribute digital and consumption of software, e-book, movies, music, etc.
products without the authorization of their legal owner. A It is an illegal reproduction and distribution of copyrighted
lot of adults and youths delight in sharing software, games, content (such as software, electronic books, movies, music,
music, e-books, pictures, etc. They do not perceive digital films, TV programs, video games, photos, and periodicals)
piracy to be an ethical issue. They see it as a way of helping through electronic means for profit. Piracy grew out of
and being nice to others. Pirates will always find a way. computer hacking. Piracy occurs when a person copies,
They have found various ways to bypass the Internet distributes or sells a digital product, without the prior
giant’s and keep their videos online for millions to watch. permission of the creator of the product. Piracy takes place
Technology has expanded many people’s ability to access through peer-to-peer networks, cloud services, illegal
pirated material and store it with ease. streaming sites, and online auctions. Digital piracy may be
regarded as the behavior of consuming an illegal copy of
When it comes to piracy, everyone is involved, one way or digital products. Although digital piracy can take place in
another. As typically shown in Figure 1, people of all ages any digital medium, there are three major media that
are involved in piracy [2]. Since adolescence is a period of receive considerable attention: music piracy, video piracy
intensive use of media and growth of digital competence, (e.g., movies or TVshows), and software piracy (e.g.,
piracy is one of the most important risk behaviors among computer programs or games) [4].
adolescents. Digital products (such as music, movies,
books, and software) are illegally used all over the world. The most popular reason for digital piracy is the
Social media sites are increasingly popular for selling unwillingness to pay the full price of a digital content.
pirated physical products. Commercial piracy is a major Digital contents are becoming quite expensive and not
concern to the producers of digital contents, both in everyone can afford them. Some believe that it is right to
developed and developing nations. For example, millions freely distribute to less fortunate and give everyone a
of people worldwide illegally downloaded the fifth season chance to use it. Some people do it for financial gain. High
of “Game of Thrones.” Purchasing digital content legally prices for media goods, low incomes, and cheap digital
allows you to listen, play, read, or use that content yourself. technologies are other reasons causing global spread of
It does not give you the right to copy it, share it, trade it, let digital piracy.

Available Online at www.ijscia.com | Volume 2 | Issue 5 | Sep-Oct 2021 797

International Journal of Scientific Advances ISSN: 2708-7972

Regardless of the motivation, unauthorized copying of stolen profits. Digital piracy steals the income from
copyrighted content is illegal because it infringes on the millions of hardworking people. Economic losses due to
exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder. The piracy is trending upwards.
copyright holder is usually the work's creator, or a
publisher or other business to whom copyright has been • Cybersecurity: Digital piracy has become a menace to
assigned [5]. cyber and legal world. Pirated products can be used by
hackers to spread virus and malware.
There are five main types of software piracy [6]:
• Counterfeiting: This type of piracy is the illegal • Creative Process: Piracy harms the creative process as
duplication, distribution, or sale of copyrighted material well as the creator of digital content and inhibits
with the intent of imitating the copyrighted product. incentive to keep creating.

• Internet Piracy: This occurs when unauthorized IDENTIFYING PIRATED CONTENT

software is downloaded from the Internet. Pirated contents and the websites that sell or share them
are illegal. To help you identify pirated software, the
• End User Piracy: This occurs when an individual Business Software Alliance (BSA) recommends the
reproduces copies of software without authorization. following tests [9]:
(1) Trust your instincts. Check the online seller’s price
• Client-Server Overuse: This type of piracy occurs when against the estimated retail value of the software.
too many users on a network are using a central copy of When in doubt, find a different source for the content
a program at the same time. that you know is legitimate.

• Hard-Disk Loading: This occurs when a business sells (2) Make sure it is authentic. Be suspicious of software
new computers with illegal copies of software loaded products that do not include proof of authenticity
onto the hard disks to make the purchase of the machines such as original disks, manuals, licensing, services
more attractive. policies, and warranties.

CONSEQUENCIES OF PIRACY (3) Beware of backups. Avoid sellers offering to make

The consequences of digital piracy are high. The main backup copies. This is a clear indication the software
consequence of digital piracy is that it seriously limits is illegal.
copyright owners in their ability to profit and control how
digital products get to consumers. The costs of piracy still (4) Steer clear of compilations. Be wary of compilations
outweigh the benefits. Piracy reduces legal sales and of software titles from different publishers on a
decreases profits. For example, the music, film, and game single disk or CD.
industries claim that digital piracy costs them billions of
dollars each year. (5) Get seller’s contact information. If you cannot
contact the seller after making a purchase, you may
• Copyright: This gives a person's exclusive right to have no recourse if the product turns out to be
reproduce, publish, or sell original creation of the pirated. Make certain to get the seller’s address, if
material. This kind of intellectual property (ideas, possible.
inventions, and creative expressions) is now the victim
of digital piracy. Piracy is a type of online copyright (6) Keep Receipts. Printout a copy of your order number
infringement. It is the unauthorized digital reproduction and sales confirmation and file them for your
of intellectual property. Copyright infringement can records. This information will help build your case if
come in the form of counterfeit programs, client server it is pirated and further action is needed.
overuse, or digital piracy. The consumers/purchasers
are considered users and not owners. (7) Ensure secure payment. Make certain that the
Internet connections you are using are secure.
• Publishing Industry: Digital piracy, which was long
confined to music and movies, is spreading to books. (8) Understand transaction terms. Get a clear
With electronic books growing in popularity, digital understanding of the merchant’s policies concerning
piracy casts shadow over e-book industry and it appears returns and refunds, shipping costs, and security and
that e-book theft is unlikely to go away. A pirated book privacy protection before you complete the transaction.
can cause damages to the author, the publisher, the
bookseller, and everyone involved in the book industry (9) Do your homework. Before making a purchase, do as
Because of this, some publishers may try to minimize much research on the seller and vendor as you can.
theft by delaying releases of e-books for several weeks Check the seller’s rating or feedback comments when
after physical copies go on sale. on an auction site.

• Entertainment Industry: Digital piracy is hurting the (10) Ask the experts. Contact the BSA with any concerns
entertainment industry, from music to sports. It badly or questions by calling 1-888-NOPIRACY or visiting
harms the movie industry, television sector, the film our Web site www.bsa.org.
industry, etc. Although competition is high all the levels
of entertainment industry, they suffer a huge loss due to HOW TO PREVENT PIRACY
piracy [7]. It is difficult to completely prevent content piracy. Only you
can protect yourself from the dangers of piracy. There are
• Software Industry: Digital piracy has posed a significant several ways you can ensure that you avoid downloading
threat to the development of the software industry and copyrighted material. We can mitigate against it by applying
the growth of the digital media industry. For example, the following tips [10-12]:
Figure 2 shows software piracy in developed nations [8]. • Remove the Incentive: The incentive for doing digital
piracy must first be removed. The incentive for the
• Economic Loss: Piracy causes significant losses to the US consumers to look for pirated content must also be
economy. People lose their work because of piracy and removed.

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International Journal of Scientific Advances ISSN: 2708-7972

• Awareness: We need to increase public education and REFERENCES

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
must enforce their intellectual property laws and make
Matthew N.O. Sadiku is a professor emeritus in the
sure that those who pirate software face consequences.
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at
Considering the global scope of piracy activities, there is
Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas. He is the
cause for both hope and alarm. For more information
author of several books and papers. His areas of research
about digital piracy one should consult the books in
interests include computational electromagnetics and
[14,15].
computer networks. He is a fellow of IEEE.

Available Online at www.ijscia.com | Volume 2 | Issue 5 | Sep-Oct 2021 799

 International Journal of Scientific Advances ISSN: 2708-7972

Tolulope J. Ashaolu is the author of several papers and Sarhan M. Musa is a professor in the Department of
two books. His research interests include functional foods Electrical and Computer Engineering at Prairie View A&M
and food microbiology. University, Prairie View, Texas. He has been the director
of Prairie View Networking Academy, Texas, since 2004.
Abayomi Ajayi-Majebi is a professor in the Department of He is an LTD Sprint and Boeing Welliver Fellow. His areas of
Manufacturing Engineering at Central State University in research interests include computational electromagnetics
Wilberforce, Ohio. In 2015 he was honored by the White and computer networks.
House as a Champion of Change for his significant
contributions to the engineering education of minority
students. He is a senior member of both the Society of
Manufacturing Engineers and the American Society for
Quality.

FIGURE 1: Age distribution of pirates in Europe [2].

FIGURE 2: Software piracy in developed nations [8].

Available Online at www.ijscia.com | Volume 2 | Issue 5 | Sep-Oct 2021 800

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