China, the US, and India are the top three countries that engage in software piracy, which has spread to be a global problem. In North America and Western Europe, the commercial worth of pirated software is $19 billion, and it has grown to $27.3 billion in the rest of the globe. A skilled hacker or programmer is not necessary for software piracy. If they are unaware of the software laws, any regular person with a computer has the potential to become a software pirate. Given its wide-ranging effects, it’s critical to comprehend what is software piracy and the risks it poses.
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What is Software Piracy?
Software piracy is unlicensed, whether deliberate or not, copying, sharing, selling, or use of the software. Examples of software piracy include actions like an end user installing a single-use license on numerous computers, a tourist purchasing a pirated copy of the software in the Far East, or the widespread distribution of software that was obtained illegally.
All software users should be able to answer the question “what is software piracy” because there are so many different kinds of actions that can be classified as piracy. This is due to the fact that many people regularly engage in acts of software piracy without even being aware that they are doing anything improper, and it is costing IT companies a lot of money.
6 Incredible Ways to Prevent It
Although it is impossible to completely stop software piracy, you can strive to reduce the likelihood of it happening as much as you can. One of the best strategies to stop software piracy is to educate people about its long-term effects. While you won’t see benefits right away, doing things this way will improve the working environment for programmers and developers as well as their clients. Use the strategies listed below to defend your program against hackers.
Adhere to Anti-Piracy Regulations
Effective anti-piracy laws are in place in almost every nation to combat intellectual property theft. The anti-piracy policies of a number of nations with the highest pirate rates have already been addressed in this article. In order to stop software piracy, you should abide by the applicable anti-piracy legislation in your area.
Make advantage of the End-user License Agreement
The rights of the copyright owner are safeguarded by the End-user License Agreement (EULA). This agreement is made between the consumer and the maker, author, or developer. It forbids end users from sharing, selling, or distributing the program to other users without the owner’s consent. For systems that aren’t free and open, like those that aren’t WordPress, this license works the best.
Make use of the General Public License
If the majority of your job consists of developing WordPress plugins and themes, you must license your creations under the GPL, or General Public License. Openness and freedom are the underlying principles of the WordPress ecosystem. Your products may be freely used, modified, or distributed, but no one may assert ownership.
The GPL guarantees users’ freedom. To combat this circumstance, you can offer a version for free and produce another version with more features. If you can add value to your products, users will be compelled to purchase the paid version.
Implement a license key management system
Utilize licensing keys to control program activation. The license key is only available to those who have purchased the software. Using a reliable tool, generate the licensing keys on your own server. Check to see if the program authenticates the keys across your servers flawlessly without creating any additional problems.
Describe the subscription model
It’s a wise decision to introduce a subscription model because it effectively combats pirates. With a subscription model, only paying consumers are able to access your website and download the program, greatly reducing the danger of piracy.
Release a New Update to the Pirated Software
Continue to improve your product whenever a free version is made accessible, then offer an improved version with more features and functionalities. As a result, the pirated version will become obsolete, and customers will seek out the new one. In addition to these methods, you can secure your software by adding a watermark or logo to the user interface. Software that is tamper-proof has procedures that shut it down if the source code is changed.
Software Piracy Types
Software piracy can be classified into five categories. This range of piracy methods shows how some people intentionally steal software while others may be unwitting accomplices.
Softlifting
Softlifting is the practice of downloading software that has been purchased in one version onto several computers despite the product license stating that it should only be downloaded once. This frequently happens in office or educational settings and is typically done to save money. The most prevalent form of software piracy is softlifting.
Overuse of clients-servers
When too many users on a network use the program’s primary copy simultaneously, this is known as client-server overuse. This frequently occurs when companies connect to a local area network and download the software for usage by all staff members. If the licensing doesn’t permit you to use it more than once, this turns into a form of software piracy.
Loading a hard disk
A form of commercial software piracy known as “hard disk loading” occurs when someone purchases a legal copy of the product and then copies, reproduces, or installs it on computer hard drives. After then, the product is sold. This frequently occurs in PC resale stores, and sometimes customers are unaware that the extra software they are purchasing is unlawful.
Counterfeiting
Software that has been unlawfully copied and marketed under the guise of being authentic is considered counterfeit. The cost of counterfeit software is typically lower than that of authentic software.
Online Theft
Online piracy, also referred to as Internet piracy, is the sale, sharing, or acquisition of illicit software via the Internet. Peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing systems, which are typically found in the form of online auction sites and blogs, are typically used for this.
Conclusion
Now that you are aware of how software piracy negatively impacts both users and developers and how to avoid it, it is up to you to do everything in your power to put an end to it. Remember that the copyright holder’s rights are not always rigorously protected by open-source platforms like WordPress.
So, when working in the WordPress ecosystem, you need to use various strategies to prevent the theft of your creations. And Appsero can be of great use to you in this regard. How? It comes equipped with a cutting-edge software licensing engine that controls automated upgrades of premium items with an easy update procedure.
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