Copyright Protection
The elimination of piracy depends on the U.S. government, software
manufacturers, and individual computer users cooperating to make sure that
the software running on desktop computers is legal.
Several organizations have been founded to protect software. Such
organizations include the Business Software
Alliance which runs a major
antipiracy site.
The Software Publisher Association (SPA)
, a division of Software
Information Industry Association (SIIA) offers resources to help
individuals, educational institutions, and corporations become compliant with
the software copyright protection laws. The SPA offers suggestions on
corporate user policies and procedures, Internet anti-piracy issues, and
international programs. It has been active since the 1980s in preventing
piracy. (The image on the right is from a 1980s campaign).
The World Intellectual Property Organization
(WIPO) is a specialized agency of
the United Nations charged with promoting the protection of intellectual
property worldwide and the administration of several intellectual property
treaties. Currently there are 170 members of WIPO.
Two leading software manufacturers, Microsoft and Adobe, have extensive
anti-piracy web sites which
allow users to report suspected cases of software piracy and to learn of
ways to protect themselves.