Software developers face a devastating financial impact when pirated software is used.Time and money that could be used to create innovative new technology must be diverted to the frustrating task of protecting the software they have already developed.
Retail stores also feel the financial pain of piracy.Additionally,they may have to limit their selection to titles that won't be devalued by pirated copies floating around on the Internet.
Perhaps the most victimized group are the software users themselves,and that includes all of us.We are hurt when developers cannot focus on development.We are hurt when retailers are forced to limit our options.And we are hurt by the viruses,spyware,and adware that can be invisibly embedded into pirated software.
Worldwide,the economic loss associated with software piracy is estimated in the tens of billions of dollars.In the end,the only people who really benefit from pirated software are the pirates themselves