Buying Genuine Software

 

If you thought that piracy was a victimless crime, or simply not a crime at all, think again.

 

If you are using unlicensed software - you are stealing it. You might have downloaded it, or bought it in a market. You might simply have bought the rights for 10 licenses but taken on more staff. In the eyes of the law, you are still a software pirate. Like music piracy, stolen software has flourished because enforcement has been patchy.

 

One reason is that the Internet has made it easier for whistle blowers to report you. A senior legal counsel for the Federation Against Software Theft, says there are three types of software pirate: "The good pirate temporarily falls out of compliance and is keen to put it right. The bad one has software licenses that are constantly in disarray. The ugly ones never had any intention of buying licenses in the first place."

 

Why comply?

 

There are many ways in which your software might not be compliant that aren't obvious. You need to be able to produce the software licenses you own, rather like the registration document for a car. If you have bought a secondhand computer, you don't have the right to use the software on it unless you inform the software provider about the change of ownership.

 

But you shouldn't look on compliance as an obligation or some sort of tax. If you think about how many hours a year you use computer software, it starts to look like good value. Pirated software destroys the smaller software companies first, many of whom are producing innovative business software at cheap prices.

 

The benefits of buying genuine, licensed software

 

Only genuine software provides guaranteed quality, reliability, security and support. In fact, licensing offers a wide range of compelling benefits:

 

 

9a. How do I buy

 

OEM: Software pre-installed with the hardware (PCs or servers)

 

Retail (Fully packaged product): Aimed at consumers or organizations with less than 5 PCs/people

 

Checklist

 

What should I know about software?

 

You must have a license for every software installation

 

Make sure that you buy only genuine software

 

Use only reputable resellers

 

Get to know the security features of the software

 

Set your own software security policy

 

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Merabusiness.com is a web resource designed for small business owners like you. Through this vast information repository, you get online information on latest tools & technologies, programming techniques, in-depth security tips, technology support options and small business specialists’ advice. With such helpful resources at your end, being a frontrunner in the competition isn't that difficult!

 

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