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Topic #3: Licensing
We touched upon the topic of licensing in the section on cost, however the consequences of not licensing software correctly weren't brought up. Pirated software is a common thing on the Internet. Virtually any title is available for download; all you need is the registration key. You can find these on illegal "warez" web sites. It isn't recommended though, since getting caught with pirated software is a serious offence.
In the United States software piracy is punishable by statutory damages of up to $100,000 for each work infringed and may result in a felony conviction. Penalties for felony convictions include fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment for up to 5 years. Licensing your software correctly is important. It isn't worth the chance of getting caught.
If you don't have enough money in the budget to license numerous copies of software, see if people can share a computer with the software on it. Doubling up may be cost efficient and it keeps all the information on one computer, in one place.
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