Digital Rights Management: Software Piracy Is Killing The Industry

What would you say if you were told that you wereplace you are leaving yourself open to an unnamed
losing thousands upon thousands of dollars on a pieceamount of money in profits. Do the right thing and
of software that you have created and are trying toprotect your digital property somehow or another.
make a profit off of? Well, it is the truth. SoftwareThink of all of the digital media that flows through the
piracy is a problem that has brought the softwareinternet, such as e-books, copyrighted images, articles,
industry to a near standstill, costing the industry billionssoftware, and other things. The internet is not as
of dollars each and every year in lost revenue, not tosecure as it could and probably should be, and if you
mention thousands upon thousands of software and ITare one of those people who are using the computer
jobs in the United States.and Internet to your advantage to gain a skill and gain
Something must be done about the issue of softwaresomething monetary from it, you are more at risk than
piracy but what? Copyright infringement is a facelessever before.
crime; the victim is often the hard working programmerJust why is that, you ask? It is rather simple. As
but the assailant could be anybody; you could looktechnology advances and gives you the tools and
them in the face and not know who they are. For thiscapabilities necessary to create innovative products it
reason, it is important to protect your digital media asalso gives other people out there license to take it and
much as you possibly can because of all intellectualthat can fast defeat the purpose of creating software
property is it at the most risk of infringement by others,to sell for profit in the first place.
and those who can take advantage of a weakIf you were creating something for fair use and share
security process or a hole in programming certainly will.with other people, digital rights management would not
The world is full of those who want to profit frombe important but in the case that you are creating
something that they had no part in. It has been goingsomething to make available to customers for a price,
on since the beginning of time and the only differencedigital rights management is an important thing to take
now is that technology has allowed people to takeinto consideration. For every person that takes your
advantage of the work of others like never before, assoftware or product and comes by it illegally or
well as giving them an even more efficient means ofimmorally, they are bound to share it with at least one
distributing and even profiting from the work of others.person. That not only takes out of your pocket what
It seems you don't have to have a softwareyou are due by their having possession of your
programming degree or experience to make moneyproduct but it also doubles that due to their likelihood to
selling computer programs or similar digital media; allshare it with another person.
you have to do is be the proud owner of a CD orLuckily, there are services out there for people who do
DVD burner and maybe even a few good hackingnot have their own method of digital rights
skills.management in place. Service like Lock It Now! And
Good digital rights management techniques areSoftware Defender provides photographers, e-book
necessary now more than ever before. Unfortunatelycreators and software entrepreneurs the opportunity
it is another investment in its own but there areto protect their product with an automated registration
services out there that are making good digital rightsverification system, protecting you against repeat
management services more and more affordable, just'refunders' (those who order your product just to copy
to offset the enormous killing that software piracy isit and request a refund of their money, thereby having
causing to the industry.obtained your product for free).
If you have created a software program, take theCopyright infringement and software piracy are as real
necessary steps to prevent it form being copied oras any computer program, e-book or digital image out
utilized by others to make a profit. A computerthere so it is important to make sure that you take the
program or video game, picture or e-book is just asnecessary steps to protect your intellectual property
important as a painting or novel and it is just as wrongfrom people who care not to pay for the things in life
to sell and distribute one as the other. Without havingthat they want.
appropriate digital rights management procedures in