In 1988, the Canadian Government amended the Copyright Act, making computer programs explicitly subject to Canadian copyright law. The penalties for an offence under the new law have been greatly increased. It is important that it be recognized as stealing, just like shoplifting, and as a socially unacceptable and illegal practice. The licence that accompanies software states under what terms the software may be copied. Each software vendor normally has its own set of rules about use and distribution of software.
Some companies allow the installation of a copy of their software on one single computer.
Others allow installation on more than one machine, as long as you never use it on more than one system at a time. Several companies will allow you to make additional copies, but you must pay them a fee for each additional copy. However, this does not mean that you only need to pay for one copy. Although the costs are often far less than installing the same software on individual PCs, appropriate licences must be obtained. To reiterate, the exact details vary from product to product and the licence agreement must be carefully reviewed.