ABSTRACT: The major threat to the software industry is counterfeiting/piracy issue, most especially in developing nations of the world. This paper is an attempt at identifying the reasons behind the high level of software piracy in the developing regions. Clear distinction is made with regard to free or open software and commercial software that users are expected to purchase with licenses. The process of piracy by crackers is illustrated. Research instruments (questionnaires) were administered among groups of software users in both academics and professional communities in Nigeria, as a case study with respect to grounds for piracy and how it should be addressed. Reasons were deduced from the result of the study and recommendations were made.
Keywords: Software Piracy, Developing Nations, Reasons, Recommendations.
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