Graduation or Jail?

Mr. Phillip Aldridge (Director of Finance for the University of Texas):

As a student in the College of Engineering majoring in aerospace engineering, I experienced something I never expected to see at the University of Texas. It was my first semester here, and I had enrolled in my first aerospace course, ASE 201, Introduction to Computer Programming. The Co-op’s online store showed what book I needed for the course, so I purchased it. When the first day of classes came, I considered myself prepared for the class. I thought I had everything I needed for my courses, all seventeen hours worth, and that payment wasn’t light, either. Well, Mr. Aldridge, to my surprise, there was one thing I didn’t know I needed: MATLAB.

MATLAB is a programming application that is used to help engineers learn how to type in code and make code for programs. It also is used in NASA and other aeronautical companies. Considering the fact that it was necessary to get this program in order to succeed in the course, there was no doubt in my mind that I was going to do that. When planning the purchase, however, I came to a frightful realization: MATLAB costs a hundred dollars for students (when bought through the university) and a thousand dollars for the professional version. I had just paid five hundred dollars for books and supplies. How was I going to pay for this when my funds from financial aid went straight to tuition and housing? My parents were still coping from the high book tab, so what was I supposed to do? What options did I have?

According to an Academic Software Survey conducted in MIT, students obtained MATLAB, this expensive computer programming software, illegally.

They “specifically admitted ‘piracy,’ ‘illegal download,’ and ‘steal from Athena (MIT’s computer network)’” (“Academic”). MIT is a prestigious school, and there is no doubt that its students are among the brightest in the nation, so how does one react to this piece of information? How does one react to piracy among the smartest students? Should they be put in jail or charged large amounts of money? We can’t let them get away with breaking the law simply because of their intelligence, so what is to be done? If there are students pirating software in such a renowned school, who is to say that this doesn’t happen in other great schools such as our university? The University of Texas needs to pay attention to this growing trend in order to prevent it from occurring on our distinguished campus.  Our students should be worrying about midterms and presentations, not law suits and attorneys.

Piracy
   
Before continuing, an effective definition for software piracy is necessary, however, there is a plethora of ways to describe it. It is this confusion that causes the stress on the controversy related to software piracy. When searching the Internet for a description for this issue, I ran into several definitions, each stating something different. Wikipedia calls software piracy “Copyright infringement of software”(Wikipedia) and goes on to include “creating a copy and/or selling it (the copied software)”. When looking on Google’s site, its search engine produced about ten different definitions. They, too, were different in wording and portrayal. This perplexity shouldn’t keep the goal I am proposing from being completed; each meaning that I found associated software piracy with crime, illegality, theft, and being unauthorized. It is these words that should make it clear how imperative it is to keep the pirating of programs from spreading here in UT.

Types of Piracy (Found in the BSA's website)

1. Using one licensed copy to install a program on multiple computers
2. Copying disks for installation and distribution
3. Taking advantage of upgrade offers without having a legal copy of the version to be upgraded
4. Acquiring academic or other restricted or non-retail software without a license for commercial use
5. Swapping disks in or outside the workplace

   
Putting the Foot Down on Piracy

Piracy has gone too far. Students shouldn’t have to pirate software in order to do well in their courses. Our school should have a program in which students get financial help whether their parents are rich or poor. For example, a student who couldn’t get financial aid because of his or her parents’ income needs to buy a two hundred dollar program, but the parents limit the student’s funds. How does a student pay two hundred dollars for a program when the question on his or her mind usually is, “Where can I go to get the cheapest lunch/dinner/breakfast?”   The

student should be able to go to the SSB or online and apply for “Quick Funds” where he or she writes what class the funds will go to; that way not just anyone can do this (only those in the class where special material is needed). This could keep piracy from expanding at schools, and prevent students from stealing from programmers’ hard work and labor.
  
The California Aggie writes about how UC Davis’ computer store sells software for free or discounted prices.  “One of the many perks of being an Aggie is the potentially free or discounted software offered through the software section of my.ucdavis.edu, and the UC Davis Bookstore Computer Shop”  (“Treat”). This is similar to what our “The Computer Store” does on campus, but with a greater inventory. “The Computer Store” on our campus, for example, only sells popular programs like Microsoft Word or Windows, but not specific programs like MATLAB. I have received free versions of SolidWorks in my mechanical engineering course and believe that there should be a similar concept for all expensive and necessary programs. As The California Aggie puts it, “Before you download illegal or buggy software, check the software site on MyUCDavis and the UCD Bookstore Computer Shop….” This could become UT’s advice for its students if the proposed “Quick Funds” would be implemented.

Schools are now seeing what sort of harm software piracy can do to students: “…the Business Software Alliance… has sent letters to college administrators across the country, encouraging them to distribute brochures and bookmarks… that make the industry's case against software piracy” (Read). Campuses around the nation are trying to teach their students the hazards and

Business Software Alliance

alternatives to software piracy thanks to organizations such as the BSA (Business and Software Alliance) and FAST (Federation Against Software Theft). There is a website that helps students know these hazards. The site includes information “on software swapping,” a test that helps them understand the differences between legal and illegal downloading, and “a list of top ten reasons why students should avoid pirating”. Diane Smiroldo, the BSA’s vice president of public affairs, says, “We're fortunate that our piracy rate from the student demographic is not as high at this point in time, but it's growing, and we're trying to head off that phenomenon.”  Her work with the BSA and other such organizations can help other companies want to aid us with “Quick Funds,” as well as help it to expand to other institutions.

The Other End of the Spectrum

On the other hand, there are programmers who believe that piracy is a good thing that shouldn’t be prohibited. “My case is based entirely on anecdotal evidence and personal opinion, but I believe there is an aspect to this topic (software piracy) that has been grossly overlooked by the media.” (Beedee). Beedee, a graphics designer who goes by this pseudonym, explains in this blog how software piracy is good for the economy. He/she explains, “I'd rather see 20 people employed at a small web shop using pirated software than the same 20 people standing in line at the unemployment office.” He/she makes it seem as if citizens in the workforce need to obtain software any way possible in order to make themselves more marketable. Beedee includes a story on how “a freshman theater major… pirated more software over the years, using them to learn new technologies and become a more valuable asset to his employers”. Is this how we are supposed to advance after we graduate?
 
Alex Howell, a software developer from the United Kingdom, states (on his blog), “…an office-worker bittorrents Photoshop at home, gets used to it, learns to love it, and gets his office to buy him a copy for use at work” (Howell). He suggests that piracy generates sales. This process of a “delayed sale” should not be approved. Sir, working class citizens should not have to commit a crime (pirate software in this case) to get ahead in the work force or to become a better employee, just like students should not have to risk their degrees and future careers. If I can’t buy Photoshop on my own or even buy Microsoft Vista, what do I do? Piracy should not be an option, and it’s not the only one, but when a student is in a tight situation, he or she just goes for the cheapest one instead of the safest. With the “Quick Funds” students won’t have to think twice;

they will apply online, or at the SSB, and receive their program for a small fee.

"Quick Funds: the Cure for Piracy"

Beedee's story of the theater freshmen is not uncommon, and it makes sense that this person would do this (pirate software), so hopefully my proposal can cause the same creativity that pirated software causes. With cheaper programs to work with, students will have the freedom to expand their horizons. Students could even realize talents they never knew they had. A new world of creativity is waiting to be discovered, but high prices are preventing it from being revealed.  Please help “Quick Funds” become another ordinary term for our students that will replace “software piracy” almost entirely. This is the rainbow after the storm; it will bring peace, at least a little, to campus, and take out software piracy.