Introduction | Objectives & Motivations
Introduction
The widespread use of computer networks and the global reach of the World Wide Web have added substantially to the information industry's production of an astonishing abundance of information in digital form, as well as offering unprecedented ease of access to it.
Creating, publishing, distributing, using, and reusing information have become many times easier and faster in the past decade. The good news is the enrichment that this explosive growth in information brings to society as a whole. The bad news is the enrichment that it can also bring to those who take advantage of the properties of digital information and the Web to copy, distribute, and use information illegally. This is precisely why the protection of intellectual property (IP) rights and piracy issues are important to us.
In the United States alone, for example, studies in the past decade have estimated that over 50 percent of U.S. exports now depend on some form of intellectual property protection, compared to less then 10 percent 50 years ago. IFPI, the organization that represents the recording industry worldwide, had stated in its The Recording Industry 2006 Piracy Report that the trade of pirate discs was worth US$4.5 billion globally in 2005. At the same time, almost 20 billion tracks were illegally swapped or downloaded on the internet in 2005. Therefore we can see that intellectual property rights violation and piracy problems are no longer national issues but have penetrated into the lives of individuals around the world.
In a bid to stamp out piracy, international organizations such as IFPI and Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) have been fervently lobbying governments around the globe to take a harsher stand on piracy. But the crux of the problem is that in many countries, there are simply no concrete laws in the justice system that punishes perpetrators of IP related crimes. Even if the laws exist, they are usually not strictly enforced, resulting in rampant piracy going on unchecked in the country. One effective way to curb piracy and IP related crimes is to let the public understand how these issues actually affect their countries' economies, which in turn will affect their own lives as well. In this way they will take action to reduce piracy in their lives and communities.
In Singapore , much of the public is aware of software piracy issues, but they do not realize the serious implications these issues have on the country's economy. On top of that, many Singaporeans do not know that many of their activities such as distributing music files via hand phones or using pirated software are actually crimes that are punishable under the law. Therefore on top of presenting issues related to IP rights and especially software piracy, we are also trying to bring out solutions that we individuals can adhere to in order to contribute to the global effort against IP rights violation and software piracy.
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In this report, we will explain the key forms of software piracy and to give a better understanding of the term "software piracy". We will provide a short analysis on reasons for software piracy and through our survey findings, establish some understanding on general public's opinions with regards to software piracy. We will show how software piracy directly affects Singapore 's economy and indirectly affects an individual's life. At the same time, we will explore several ethical, social and legal issues that come along with software piracy. Lastly, we will propose feasible ideas as well as solutions to counter software piracy; on the target groups of both the individual, and the government.
Our research is carried out primarily through the Internet, reference texts, survey, as well as brainstorming and systematic analysis of our survey findings. The following are the areas of concern:
• Types of Software Piracy
• Reasons for Software Piracy
• General Public's Opinion on Software Piracy
• Statistical Impact of Software Piracy on Singapore 's Economy
• Legal, Social and Ethical Issues arise from Software Piracy
• Feasible Solutions on Software Piracy
We hope that through this report, we can generate more public awareness on software piracy and educate the public on the various forms of software piracy, their implications, and hence, do our part in reducing software piracy.
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Credits: Koh Li Qian Brina, Tan Wei Boon Keith, Chen Jiayang Joseph, Pan Jin Gui Thomas
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