5 years ago... One quarter of IT professionals admit being software pirates

10.02.99 One in four IT professionals think it is ethical to copy software for their private use, according to a survey released this week by the Institute for the Management of Information Systems (IMIS).
Most of the respondents were from senior IT positions, adding clout to IMIS' claims yesterday that it is the licensing laws, not the software pirates, who are at fault.
Dr Ben Fairweather from De Montfort University, who conducted the research for IMIS, said: "The survey shows that IS professionals believe copying software can be ethical in some circumstances where it is currently not allowed. It is no longer appropriate for large companies to raise lots of money from their copyrights."
The survey found that the most ethical IT professionals were freelancers, aged over 40.
Mary Prior, from the University of Northampton, who presented the IMIS findings, said: "People in the 25 to 40 bracket were more likely to work on a project they didn't agree with, than older people. We think they are more prepared to compromise, because they want to further their careers."
10.02.04 The drive to make sure all software is paid and accounted for continues, as seen by the latest push today from the Business Software Alliance.
Our use of the word 'ethical' five years ago is interesting. Older IT professionals were considered ethical because they tended to stick to the rules more. Meanwhile their younger colleagues would talk about 'ethical copying', meaning they would make a call as to when a situation warranted it.
Some software licensing does come across as practically criminal but as long as decisions are made on copying on an individual or even a corporate level it is very hard for those involved to have a grown-up debate on the subject.
Proper discussions through user groups, trade associations and regulators - to name just a few channels - are the best way forward. We all have a soft spot for Robin Hoods and there are bad laws. But let's not pretend that everyone doing as they please is a sensible way forward.