Reporting Software Piracy - the Dummies Guide

This is the result of a close friend of mine (Manish - hands up!!) enquiring about if there is any way of reporting Software Piracy!! Well, it got me thinking! For one, I had never ever reported any 'Software Piracy' - just felt bad when I saw it, gave a sardonic smile, and went about the daily chores including preaching about using Open Source and Freeware!! Secondly, 'Software Piracy' in India has become such a 'done thing' that every one assumes its their birthright, and never give it a second, nay first, thought!! I wonder if they ever even thought about it! This is especially true and pretty rampant in Govt. Organisations and smaller firms . For example, visit any 'Photo shop', and you would see them using 'Photoshop'  (pun intended!!) to touch up your digital photos! I always wonder if they spent the Rs. 50K minimum necessary for a licensed copy of the software!!! Check the price here - its $1000 approx).

Let me make you feel guilty!!! Are you or your organisation using original software? Well, when MS Office 2007 Professional costs Rs.15,500/- and MS Office 2007 Home costs Rs. 3000/- (hardly anyone uses the low featured 'MS-Office Home Edition'), I guess you have saved some money, right? :-)

In fact, people look at you in surprise if you enquire about their software licenses!! And some even wonder if there is anything like a software license (the whole software thing came pre-loaded you see!!!). And some even tell me "DO SOMETHING USEFUL IN YOUR LIFE U REVENGEFUL **** " :-)

Anyway, coming to the point, one can report Software Piracy in Organisations or Individuals. And am sure some actions are taken thereof!!!

What defines Sofware Piracy? From the Business Software Alliance site:

"Software piracy is the unauthorized copying or distribution of copyrighted software. This can be done by copying, downloading, sharing, selling, or installing multiple copies onto personal or work computers. What a lot of people don't realize or don't think about is that when you purchase software, you are actually purchasing a license to use it, not the actual software. That license is what tells you how many times you can install the software, so it's important to read it. If you make more copies of the software than the license permits, you are pirating."

Every major software maker have their own 'Software Piracy' reporting forms/ web-site/ mail id!! Check out a few of these sites if you are interested (???) to report Software Piracy!!
http://www.bsa.org/country.aspx?sc_lang=hi-IN  - The grand daddy of them all.
http://www.microsoft.com/india/piracy/Report_piracy.aspx
https://www.microsoft.com/howtotell/reports/report.aspx
http://info.borland.com/about/piracy.html
http://www.mathworks.in/company/aboutus/policies_statements/piracy.html

(These are just a few example sites......)

Specifically, taking the most common example, if you are in India and observe any software piracy of Microsoft software you have the option of reporting the same in the following ways:

Method 1: E-mail piracy@microsoft.com.

Method 2: Call the Microsoft Hotline at 1800-111100 (from MTNL & BSNL landline) or 1800-1021100 (from Mobile and Airtel)

Method 3: Fill out an online reporting form on their web site.

Ofcourse, in Mumbai you can report to the 'Cyber Crime Investigation Cell'

Cyber Crime Investigation cell,
Annex III, 1st floor, Office of the Commissioner of Police,
D.N.Road,
Mumbai - 40001
Email: officer@cybercellmumbai.com

Tel: +91 - 022 - 24691233

Is there some monetary reward? Well, I am not sure!! But this does throws some light!! :-)

And check out some true stories of those who indulged in 'Software Piracy' and about the Monetary rewards at http://global.bsa.org/faces/index.html