Their organizations could potentially be liable for significant monetary fines or jail time for convicted employees. Related studies have shown that software piracy is perceived as an issue of low moral intensity. Although the problem is growing, the dollar figures are lower because of decreasing retail prices of the software. Offending entities face fines equal to the list price of the software, destruction of the pirated software and payment of attorneys' fees. In addition, offenders are required to purchase the pirated software from the publishers.
Ignorance is no defense, according to the article.
IS managers who fail to protect against software piracy have been held accountable by the SPA and are legally liable for damages, even if they were unaware of the acts of piracy. More than 90 percent of the respondents indicated that their organizations have a software duplication policy and 89 percent said an employee awareness program existed. Despite these policies, responses indicated that fewer than one fourth of the software audits in the previous 12 months included a test for software piracy. All rights reserved. Disclaimer and Privacy Statements .