Piracy and Morality: Why Ethics are Essential for Business

by Ian Spaulding

We've all heard it before. Software pirates roam the Internet, and thousands - if not millions - of people commit these "victimless" crimes, "sharing" information. It's getting increasingly easier to find those programs, as the Pirates' activities are fueled by the ever-increasing trend of cutting-edge technology. All the while the companies suffer, the market suffers, the economy suffers, and yes, even the people who are getting what they want - getting valuable property illegally and for free - even they are suffering.

Piracy is stealing. There is no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Yet, people do it anyway. It's more common than videotaping a broadcasted television show. Why? The answer is simple: it's getting something for nothing, and it's practically risk-free. There are no mass arrests of people using Kazaa, no stings and crack-downs, no police stake-outs; in fact, the risk of even getting sued are so benign that, for many, it doesn't seem like a risk at all. These people get what they want, and the amount of work that is put into these massive projects is all thrown away, like so much cardboard packaging, so that someone can have a measly $50 to spend on other indulgences.

And all the while, the industry suffers. If people don't get paid for making these games, they don't make these games anymore. It becomes more difficult to sell games, and I would even go so far as to say the overall quality of the games themselves suffer, because companies would rather pay for a surefire sale rather than take a risk. Prices go up, as well. Yet, all these things contribute to people delving into piracy more, since high prices and bland games prove to be excuses not to purchase the games at all.

It's too easy to point blame in this fashion. All too often the consumers point out the fact that record companies are notorious for pushing CDs with only one really popular song and a lot of unpopular songs, relying on the one song to justify buying a whole $15 CD. Game companies rely on gimmicks, producing one new feature that is a good idea, but usually poorly implemented and lacking in all other areas. Yet, while all of this may be true, it does not justify the stealing of their property, especially in the cases where there is no such excuse.

Clearly, it is neither just the consumers nor is it just the companies who are corrupt here; it is everyone. Too many people want to get as much as they can with as little work as possible, and it's making the economy suffer; this is as much apparent both the willingness to break our social ties to get a piece of free property as it is in the fixing of prices and the usage of dirty tactics in the business world. This avarice is a fundamental flaw in humanity, something that we all have, and that's driving us into the ground - it's killing our economy, our beloved entertainment, and slowly killing us as well.

It seems that chinks in morality are much more fatal than we've ever imagined them to be. Or rather, than we want them to be.