Software piracy is the stealing of intellectual property. It is also risky to download pirated software as it may contain viruses, malware or spyware that pose security risks to your computer.
What is more, if anything goes wrong, you will not get any support from the original publisher. Security patches or update for vulnerabilities also cannot be installed for pirated copy, thus exposing your computer to attacks.
All staff and student users are therefore reminded to use only legal and properly licensed software to avoid privacy intrusion, data loss or even system crash. Here are a few tips to avoid accidental piracy:
- Always purchase or download software from the official or trusted sources.
- If the software price looks too good to be true, it is probably a pirated copy.
- Make sure you have the right version of the software you need. If you have an education edition but you are using it for commercial purposes, you are breaching the terms of the license.
- Read the license agreement or the condition for use carefully. Some software may impose restrictions on the type of use, e.g. only for personal use, non-profit use, non-commercial use and educational use, etc.
