Anyone who has an access to the computer software can easily make a copy of it within minutes. Even in colleges and universities students borrow their friends software and make a copy of it for themselves. This is violation of ACM Code of Ethics section 1.5. Taking something that you are not authorized is unethical. Softwares are protected by federal copyright law according to which you cannot make copies of software without the permission of the copyright holder.
Companies spend large portion of their resources to develop software and now they deserve a return.
The programmers, writers, and other, also deserve fair compensation for their software. By making illegal copies we are taking an unethical action and also violating ACM Code of Ethics. Person caught copying such software can face civil suits for damages and relief, fines and jail terms upto 5 years. In todays competive market it is very important for a company to stay ahead of their competitors. They also have to be upto date on the new technology.