Digital Piracy: To Torrent or Not, That is the Question!

• In Event: Fraud and Piracy in the Digital Age

Abstract

In modern society, digital piracy is an emerging computer-related crime where numerous individuals illegally download content off the Internet on a daily basis. Digital piracy refers to the unauthorized copying of digital content such as software, documents, music, audio, videos, and more (Gopal et al., 2004). In 2005, studies in the United States discovered that although digital piracy has a moderately low and steady rate, there is still a significant loss of over $6.8 billion from software piracy alone (Business Software Alliance, 2006). It is argued that although the illegality of digital piracy is made evident, the criminal act continues to be prevalent. Through the theoretical lens of social learning theory and rational choice theory, this paper will explore the perspective of individual users’ decisions on committing different forms of digital piracy by analyzing multiple public online forums. Factors such as feelings of guilt, fear of repercussions and consequences, the rational choice of participating in the act, and the pervasiveness of digital piracy in society will be examined. Furthermore, the continuation of digital piracy despite one’s reception of cease and desist letters from copyright owners will also be covered and investigated.

Author

• Karen Chu, University of Ontario Institute of Technology