What Is Piracy?

Answer:

Piracy is the unauthorized duplication of an original recording for commercial gain without the consent of the rights owner. The packaging of pirate copies is different from the original. Pirate copies are often compilations, such as the "greatest hits" of a specific artist, or a collection of a specific genre, such as dance tracks.

Types of software piracy include:

• Soft lifting
• Client-server overuse
• Hard-disk loading
• Counterfeiting
• Online piracy

Two indicators that can be on a work or product to alert you to the author/owner's intent to protect his or her rights are a "©" or"®" on the product. A "©" on the work means it is copyrighted and an "®" means it is a registered trademark in the United States. Rules for how and when copyrights apply are a little complicated and can be found on the Library of Congress' Copyright Office website.

However, just because you cannot find the mark on something does not mean there is no protection for it — copyrights, patents and trademarks may still apply; and there are also common law rights and other means to protect works, including performance contracts and licenses.