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Feasible Solutions to Software Piracy - Technical Solutions
Technical Solutions
Hardware Techniques | Software Techniques | Open Source Software
<<Hardware Techniques>>
One effective but expensive approach is the use of dongles, which is a piece of hardware containing an electronic serial number that must be plugged into the computer to run the software . [12] The use of a dongle is effective in a way that it allows only a single copy of the software to work on that particular machine. In simpler terms, if the software is copied to other machines, it will not work unless the dongle accompanies it.
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<<Software Techniques>>
One of the feasible techniques would be Digital Rights Management (DRM). It is a technology that imposes restricts the users' ability to copy or share works without explicit permission from right-owners. When a user tries to open this content, the DRM system will check if he is authorized to use it. He may be required to log in or he may be allowed to use the content for only a few days. [6]
Another way is to implement Internet product activation. This requires the user to connect to the Internet and type in a serial number so the software can notify the manufacturer who has installed the software and where, and prevent other users from installing the software if they attempt to use the same serial number.
Also, network security checks can be implemented; in this case, the software will look over the local area network to see if another copy of the same software is running with the same serial number. If one is discovered, the software disables itself temporarily, making further use of that application impossible. [3]
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<<Open Source Software>>
Most genuine software programs are quite expensive. Students often find themselves forced to use a particular brand of software because failing to do so may result in incompatibilities. If this software turns out to be commercial or proprietary, most students, instead of purchasing a legal copy of the software from an authorized vendor, relegate themselves to downloading a pirated copy from the Internet.[10] The same goes for companies and home users. Thus, this is where open source software comes into place. It is seen as " FREE legal alternative to pirated commercial software". Since open source software are free and made available to everyone, it can help to reduce the possibilities of people turning to pirated software.
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