Software Piracy

From Information Systems at Pitt Business

Losses to the software industry due to piracy have been estimated at $1.175 billion. This is mainly due to the ease of copying the software packages, and the difficulty that companies face in creating preventative measures. Several groups have attempted to increase the awareness of piracy as an immoral act and that there are severe punishments to those that are caught, but this has had relatively little effect on piracy behavior at large.

This study creates a theoretical model to explain and predict piracy in the workplace that is built upon TRA/TPB,utility theory, deterrence theory and previous piracy research. The model is tested by an experiment with 221 MBA students. Analysis indicates that punishment severity and certainty, and software cost have significant effects on one's attitude towards piracy, which is the strongest predictor of intentions to engage in software piracy.

[edit] Abstract

Theft of software and other intellectual property has become one of the most visible problems in computing today. This paper details the development and empirical validation of a model of software piracy by individuals in the workplace. The model was developed from the results of prior research into software piracy, and the reference disciplines of the theory of planned behavior, expected utility theory, and deterrence theory. A survey of 201 respondents was used to test the model. The results indicate that individual attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are significant precursors to the intention to illegally copy software. In addition, punishment severity, punishment certainty, and software cost have direct effects on the individual's attitude toward software piracy, whereas punishment certainty has a significant effect on perceived behavioral control. Consequently, strategies to reduce software piracy should focus on these factors. The results add to a growing stream of information systems research into illegal software copying behavior and have significant implications for organizations and industry groups aiming to reduce software piracy.

[edit] Paper Information

Authors: A. Graham Peace, Dennis Galletta, James Thong

Check out the article at Software Piracy in the Workplace: A Model and Empirical Test

This article was originally published in JMIS, Vol 20, No. 1, Summer 2003.

[edit] Keywords

Computer Ethics, Deterrence Theory, Expected Utility Theory, Software Piracy, Theory of Planned Behavior, Computer and Software Stores, Lessors of Nonfinancial Tangible Assets