Software Piracy and Copyright Laws: United States versus Vietnam
I. Introduction
"Software piracy is the unauthorized duplication, distribution or use of computer software". Five main types of software piracy exist: publisher patent and copyright infringement, industrial piracy, corporate piracy, reseller piracy, and home piracy. Software piracy is a large global issue, which has become a more pressing issue due to a number of reasons: software is now easier to distribute on a global scale due to global access to the internet; culturally, people have not been taught that copying software is like stealing; a physical component does not need to be manufactured; and finally individuals state that they cannot afford the high cost of software and state that they would not use the pirated software if they had to pay for it.1
Software piracy is being dealt with on a global level by implementing global copyright laws. However, to date, no completely successful way has been implemented to deal with copyright issues. I believe that software piracy is unethical, but copyright laws need a fine balance between the rights of the copyright holders and the fair use rights of the individual. The Berne convention implements copyright laws that many nations of the world have signed. The US has taken extreme measures to protect copyright with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The DMCA not only protects copyright owners, but it has been used to infringe on fair use and has promoted anti-competitive actions. Vietnam is on the other extreme. It has finally started to implement and enforce copyright laws, but due to cultural, economic, and legal views, it still has one of the highest software piracy rates in the world...
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...gency of the situation is, you can spread awareness for that particular ecosystem or organism. You could also take part in the “Adopt an Arctic Fox” it’s a program set up by the WWF for not only the arctic fox, but other animals which are endangered. You pay money to adopt the animal for a certain amount of time and the money goes into saving the animal through protests, petitions, treaties and even scientific research. Finally, one of the most contributing and beneficial factors of this cause; the “Take Action” program. Take action is part of a branch of the WWF known as the “Wildlife Action Centre”. It is here where petitions and treaties are sent and enforced to and by government officials. Each year more and more people become interested in the cause and its effects. It is time now for us to take action and make a stand for species that cannot do so themselves.
During the 1920’s, many political issues were prominent within the United States, particularly within the federal government. Several problems included those regarding immigration, the eighteenth and nineteenth amendments to the constitution, and scandals, including the Teapot Dome Scandal. These specific topics contributed to the title, “The Roaring Twenties”, and also ultimately led into a depression.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, there have been a number of great revolutionary movements going on in the United States, contributing to a huge spectrum of changes, ranged from American people’s everyday lives, to a more comprehensive view about the world and themselves, even to the national economic system. Those movements had reached a climax in the 1920’s, known as the “The Roaring Twenties”. Accompanied with the changes were conflicts and tensions rising rapidly between the adaptation to new attitudes and the preservation of traditional values. The emergence of the “New Morality”, the development of Science and Technology, and the changes in economy were the three most significant winds of changes leading to the enormous tension in the 1920’s, manifesting in their own distinct ways.
In 1918 when World War I ended, American society and culture changed immediately after. World War I resulted in the death of nine million soldiers and twenty one million wounded. Families were left mourning the loss of their relatives and people titled World War I as a “war to end all war.” With the nation going through such tragedy, change was bound to happen. During the 1920s there was a change in consumer culture, art, music and literature. So much changed happened during the 1920s that it’s referred to as the roaring twenties. Entertainment was on a rise and the way that Americans were used to living started to change. Along with that came immigration laws that changed American culture as well.
The Roaring Twenties was America’s golden age. F. Scott Fitzgerald once said,“The parties were bigger, the pace was faster, the shows were broader, the buildings were higher, the morals were looser, and the liquor was cheaper” (“People” PBS). The cultural undertone of the twenties was very different from the times before and during World War I. “ For the first time, more Americans lived in cities than on farms…people from coast to coast bought the same goods…listened to the same music, did the same dances, and even used the same slang” (“Roaring” History). The Twenties was a time of social and cultural change. During this time, things like the automobile and jazz became more popular and mainstream. These things were possible because America
The 1920s were a pivotal period in American history because the nation established many of the structures that it required to promote a lifestyle that is enjoyed by many diverse people across the country today. In the United States, the 1920s were a distinct decade because a majority of its citizens enjoyed immense wealth, and this period marked an expansion in the country’s establishment of infrastructure and the people who lived during this time contributed significantly to music and the arts. For the first time in history, more Americans moved to the cities and the surrounding suburbs, which created a cultural shift to emphasis on the middle class working individual, rather than on the rural farmer. It is important to understand the implications of the 1920s on modern American culture, because this was an essential decade that had a significant influence on the American way of thinking in addition to the American way of life.
After World War 1 had ended, Americans were happy and called for a time of celebration. Times were beginning to change and revolutionize into an era never experienced before. Many people thought that with the ending of the war, things wouldn’t look to good in the United States but the reality was that things looked way much better than they expected. The ending of World War 1 resulted in a boom of great new things in the U.S. during the 1920’s called the roaring 20’s. This era seemed as if I was a carefree era and people seemed to have more money than ever. The Roaring 20’s consisted of an era with new inventions, prohibition, jazz music, and women becoming more independent. Most of the roaring 20’s, was an uplifting time for the spirit of the United States and enhanced American life.
One of the most controversial topics of the year is the argument on guns and the government attempting to ban and control certain guns. This topic has always been in disagreement among the American public but has recently become much more popular after several large-scale shootings such as the infamous Sandy Hook. Despite gun control appearing to be the solution to these tragic events, controlling and banning guns will simply not work. Why will it not work and why is it so bad? Because it has not worked before, current gun control laws and attempted laws target the wrong guns, banning the targeted guns or any guns for that matter will not prevent mass shootings, and it infringes on our constitutional rights as Americans. Together, we will not only be addressing these issues, but we will provide well thought out answers to many arguments that pro-gun control advocates can retaliate with.
It is first beneficial to know the definition of piracy. Piracy has been characterized multiple ways from multiple disciplines. For the purpose of this paper, I will apply the definition of piracy from the 1982 United ...
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A Worldwide Problem Software piracy is defined as the illegal copying of software for commercial or personal gain. Software companies have tried many methods to prevent piracy, with varying degrees of success. Several agencies like the Software Publishers Association and the Business Software Alliance have been formed to combat both worldwide and domestic piracy. Software piracy is an unresolved, worldwide problem, costing millions of dollars in lost revenue. Software companies have used many different copy protection schemes. The most annoying form of copy protection is the use of a key disk. This type of copy protection requires the user to insert the original disk every time the program is run. It can be quite difficult to keep up with disks that are years old. The most common technique of copy protection requires the user to look up a word or phrase in the program's manual. This method is less annoying than other forms of copy protection, but it can be a nuisance having to locate the manual every time. Software pirates usually have no trouble "cracking" the program, which permanently removes the copy protection. After the invention of CD-ROM, which until lately was uncopyable, most software companies stopped placing copy protection in their programs. Instead, the companies are trying new methods of disc impression. 3M recently developed a new technology of disc impression which allows companies to imprint an image on the read side of a CD-ROM. This technology would not prevent pirates from copying the CD, but it would make a "bootleg" copy differ from the original and make the copy traceable by law enforcement officials (Estes 89). Sometimes, when a person uses a pirated program, there is a "virus" attached to the program. Viruses are self-replicating programs that, when activated, can damage a computer. These viruses are most commonly found on pirated computer games, placed there by some malignant computer programmer. In his January 1993 article, Chris O' Malley points out that if piracy was wiped out viruses would eventually disappear (O' Malley 60). There are ways that a thrifty consumer can save money on software without resorting to piracy. Computer companies often offer discounts on new software if a person has previously purchased an earlier version of the software. Competition between companies also drives prices low and keeps the number of pirated copies down (Morgan 45). People eventually tire or outgrow their software and decide to sell it.
One of the most recent examples of ethics and technology conflicts in the United States are privacy issues and how we cite, distribute and publish intellectual property on the internet. For instance, many corporations and people take advantage of the open access of the internet and the lack of legislation governing the right to post and upload information to the internet. Today, nearly every household in the United States has a computer with int...
Piracy is a form of theft. Specifically, it refers to the unauthorized copying or use of intellectual property. Intellectual property is knowledge or expression that is owned by someone. There are three major types of intellectual property: 1) creative works, including music, written material, movies, and software, which are protected by copyright law; 2) inventions, which are protected by patent law; and 3) brand-name products, which are protected by trademarks. Many of the issues surrounding piracy have to do with the difference between intellectual property and physical property. A CD, for example, is a piece of physical property, but the songs on the CD are intellectual property. A customer in a record store can purchase a CD, but someone else still owns, or more precisely, has the copyright to the songs on the CD.
It’s no doubt that our world today is full of unsolved, contentious and controversial issues. Most of them relate to morals, religions or ethics thus create many strong opinions in “yes” and “no” or “good” and “bad” sides. Abortion is one of those sensitive issues. There are numerous proponents and opponents of abortions in the US. Proponents of abortion believe that unwanted pregnancies can be very stressful for women and they should have the right to make decisions about their bodies. However, abortion is seriously wrong because killing a fetus is killing a person. And obviously, death is the end of life for the fetus when the fetus should have the right to have a life just like ours.