Computer piracy is probably more common than people admit. Especially in the business world. All those companies have tons of money, so no problem, right? Sorry, afraid not.
- Its illegal!
- Obviously, yeah. You want to save some money, but it could get you in trouble with the law.
- Employees (especially disgruntled ex-employees), even customers who know you’re pirating can actually report you with the possibility of getting a cash reward/bounty if you get busted. nopiracy.org
- The fines can be pretty bad (they’ve got rewards to pay out). https://techcrunch.com/2016/05/10/software-piracy-claims-can-ruin-your-business-and-reward-those-responsible/
- While unlikely, a software vendor could possibly request an audit to make sure you’re in compliance. https://redmondmag.com/articles/2010/09/01/beware-the-bsa.aspx
- Its not safe!
- Trojans, malware, and viruses oh my!
- Many common programs have inexpensive alternatives, even free/open-source ones.
- LibreOffice or OpenOffice (OSS).
- GIMP, Inkscape, and Scribus for some of Creative Cloud. Affinity and others for cheap.
- Do you really NEED the big fancy name software?
- Being paid/legit means you can get support from the company.
- Important for updates.
- Important for compliance within your industry (HIPPA).
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