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Sat, Nov 4, 11:30 - 11:55, Normandy A Paper (refereed)

Recommended Citation: Siegfried, R M and A S Ashley. Is it Theft or Sampling? Student Attitudes on the Copying of Commercial Software and Music. In The Proceedings of the Information Systems Education Conference 2006, v 23 (Dallas): §3334. ISSN: 1542-7382.

Is it Theft or Sampling? Student Attitudes on the Copying of Commercial Software and Music

Refereed

8 pages

Robert M. Siegfried    [a1] [a2]
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
Adelphi University    [u1] [u2]
Garden City, New York, USA    [c1] [c2]

Allan S. Ashley    [a1] [a2]
School of Business
Adelphi University    [u1] [u2]
Garden City, New York, USA    [c1] [c2]

Both software and music piracy are generally considered to be widespread problems for the software and recording industries respectively, potentially costing both industries billion of dollars in potential sales. The authors surveyed 190 college freshmen to find their attitudes toward the copying of commercial software and recorded music. Two interesting issues were identified. When the current study was compared to one done in 2000-2001, it was found that a greater percentage of students in the current study thought that most people, and especially students, copy commercial software instead of purchasing it. However, the survey results also demonstrated that a smaller percentage of student respondents in the current study (as compared to the percentages in the previous study) thought it was acceptable conduct to copy commercial software. Perhaps students are more aware of the ethical dilemma or at the impropriety of software piracy. Secondly, the results revealed that students frequently copy or download music recordings illegally. However, the results also offer some evidence that they may be sampling the recording to determine if it is worth purchasing.

Keywords: computer ethics, music piracy, digital piracy, intellectual property, student attitudes

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