1.Laws and Regulations

a) 3 Strike Laws | | |

General idea:
People who are caught committing a crime will be given up to three warnings. If caught repeating the same offense on the 3rd/4th time (depending on which country), the criminal will be heavily penalised, eg through heavier jail-term and hefty fines.

World Examples 2009

So far, this act has been approved in France, Sweden, and possibly Singapore, who is considering implementing the 3 Strike Law to better control piracy in the country. People caught infringing copyright online after repeated warnings could face the suspension of their Internet access, a fine, and even prison.

b) Digital Millennium Copyright Law

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act was signed into law in October 1998 by President Bill Clinton. The DMCA addresses different issues including
1) World Intellectual Property Organizations Treaties
Each member country must provide protection to works of members of other countries included in the treaty, and must be no less favourable than that given to domestic works.

2) Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act
- Limitations on liability by online service providers performing the following services
i) Transitory communications
ii) System caching
iii) Storage of information on system of networks
iv) Information location tools, e.g. Google

The act also includes other aspects such as miscellaneous provisions, making copies of a program for the purpose of maintenance or repair.  
 PDF | Link to the full document of the DMCA

Back to top

2.Corporate Measures

a) DRMs – Digital Rights Management ( Media)

Digital Rights Management (DRM) is access technology used by producers of hardware and software to limit the usage of digital content and devices. Such technology is employed by companies such as Sony, Apple Inc and Microsoft. DRM functions by preventing access, copying or converting into other formats. Essentially, these programs shift the control of digital content from the user to the program. The usage of DRM is often debated as there are conflicting views between software developers and the consumers. While the developers often argue that such restrictions are necessary to prevent piracy, opponents of such systems argue that they are anti-competitive in nature and the system slow-downs and malfunctions that have resulted from the installation of such programs. As a result, lawsuits filed by consumers against software developers, due to the inclusion of an unwanted form of DRM, are common.

Some examples in which DRM is incorporated include:
• Companies that block the forwarding for sensitive e-mails
• Servers that limit the copying of written materials such as e-books
• DVD software that limit the number of copies which the consumer can create
• Online-authenticated activation keys which are needed in a host of computer applications
• Encryption tools used in music CDs to confuse ripping and copying software.

Back to top

b) DRM Case Studies

i. Apple Fairplay system

The Fairplay system was used in iTunes store and applied to the iTunes software and iPod digital music players. A music track bought on iTunes store may be copied to any number of iPod portable music players and can be played on up to five authorised computers at the same time. A track can be copied to a conventional Audio CD any number of times but sound quality is notably compromised however a playlist can be copied to a CD only up to seven times. In a nutshell, Fairplay does not disallow the copying of audio content but manages the decryption of it.

ii. Sony "eXtended Copy Protection" (XCP)

Sony took a step into DRMs by including the "eXtended Copy Protection" (XCP) software on their music CDs, bundling a CD player with the music tracks. This averted consumers to use their original media players and limited the number of times the CD could be burned and prevented CDs from being ripped into the iPod. The software was able to disguise unauthorised activity on computer systems thus reducing security and allowing viruses to infiltrate. It caused many programmes to fail and slowed down many applications. The existence of hidden files rendered it impossible to be uninstalled. Sony BMG attempted to salvage the situation by releasing an uninstaller however its limitations still made it difficult for consumers. After receiving various criticisms, Sony BMG agreed to compensate and pay for damages.

More Information |
DRM - "digital rights" or "digital restrictions" management by Richard Leeming

Back to top

3.Education Awareness

A satisfactory solution to the business software piracy problem has proven elusive to the software industry. Draconian measures, such as rights management systems or hands-on key management systems, can drive up customer costs in IT administration, while in consumer markets the cost of a single support call can erode all profit margins and may even exceed the price of the product. Government intervention is necessary to combat organized high-tech crime. The Cisco 2008 Annual Security Report and the Symantec Global Internet Security Threat Report shows that the same regions that are leading offenders in software piracy are also leading in malicious attacks for spam, phishing and identity theft. Enforcement of legislation and ethics education of the user community are the most effective practical steps

The Software & Information Industry Association's Anti-Piracy Division conducts a comprehensive, industry-wide campaign to fight software piracy and content piracy. The pro-active campaign is premised on the notion that one must balance enforcement with education in order to be effective. Education, education, and education. There should be copyright workshops and classes for administrators, teachers, parents, and students so they understand the copyright law as applies to software and consequence of illegal use of software. Hopefully, this will develop a sense of ethical responsibility for everyone in schools. 

Back to top