re Alliance and Software & Information Industry Association (forthwith referred to as the BSA and SIIA, respectively) shows that, though the percentage of pirated software has reduced in the past 5 years, the per capita expense of the software industry due to piracy has grown. Additionally, the rate of software piracy is still 36 percent (i.e. 36 out of every 100 programs worldwide are pirated; this number is based on the global population's PC business software applications), which is rather substantial ("1999"). The fact that the rate is 26 percent may lie in the fact that many so-called software pirates hide behind myths that they believe protect them.
             For instance, there are myths that it is legal for one to post links to pirated software on one's site, or that a disclaimer of acceptable usage will "shift liability to someone else" ("Warez"). The fact of the matter is "you could be liable for anything that you do that contributes to the infringement of copyrighted works" ("Warez").
             Another study conducted by the Student Monitor may also give insight as to the reason that the rate of software piracy is so high – pirated software is very easy to acquire! This study finds that 47% of polled college students borrowed some of the software they use for school from family and/or friends and 20% downloaded full versions of these programs directly from the Internet ("Software").
             Perhaps the reason that money lost due to piracy has increased finds its roots in the actual heart of why software is pirated: money (or the lack thereof, in the case of the pirate). Computer software has grown increasingly expensive in the past few years; many people seek to find their software free (or at a reduced price), and in this folly, another myth is brought out: "Software is expensive" ("Warez") and it is "okay to download programs as long as you de...