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Protection Against Software Piracy

Track and remove software piracy

We protect:

TV on-demand & cinema

Press & publishing

Live events & streaming

Software, apps & videogames

E-learning & Info products

How software piracy protection works

Track

Rapidly detect pirated software and code anywhere online

Delete

Automatically de-index and take down copyright infringement and pirated software

Report

Identify trends and track down pirated software to the source

Track

Source detection

Copyright protection experts identify and update sources of piracy daily to help you protect your software from piracy

Bot-powered search

Crawl linking sites, cyberlockers, apps, social, streaming and P2P platforms

Self-improving detection

Machine learning uses your detection history to add new search rules

Delete

Automation rules

De-index and removal requests are sent instantly using automation rules

Removal follow-up

Software piracy protection experts pursue out-of-court actions to stop further violations

YouTube expertise

As a YouTube Multi-Channel Network, we provide expert protection

Report

Real-time documentation

See detailed search results in the platform right after they are found

Performance dashboards

Quickly understand your intellectual property protection coverage

Customized reports

Measure the business impact of your actions with tailor-made reports

FAQs

What is software piracy?

Simply put, software piracy is the unapproved copying of purchased software.

When you buy software from a company, you are considered to be a “licensed user” and not the “owner” of that software. Let’s assume you buy an Office 365 software pack from Microsoft. You will be considered to be a licensed user of the Office 365 software and not the owner.

Many software creators provide buyers or users of their software with a number of licenses. The license may be for one computer, two, or ten; it all depends on the company’s decisions.

How to protect software intellectual property

When it comes to protecting your software intellectual property (IP), prevention is vital. By the time someone steals your IP and distributes it or uses it in their business, the damage has already been done. Investing in a professional software piracy protection and management system will help you to identify and address IP infringements as soon as they occur.

IP lawyers can offer expert advice on the most vital areas you need to focus on to protect your IP, as this will vary depending on your unique software. They can also help identify infringements and send the proper takedown notices faster than you may be able to alone. However, with the rapid rate of software piracy, investing in protection software is the best way to keep up with infringements across the web.

With software piracy protection systems like Red Points, your software IP can be protected from infringements 24/7. The software piracy protection solution completely automates the IP enforcement process, by using comprehensive bot searches that scour the web for infringements across the globe. This software is far more efficient and capable of handling infringements than any in-house team could accomplish, protecting your brand while saving time and money.

What are the main types of software piracy?

Counterfeiting

This involves the illegal copying, sale, and/or distribution of a copyrighted software with the intention of imitating the original product. For software programs, counterfeits come in different forms, including copies of compact disks with the software incorporated in them.

Other elements that are usually counterfeited include license agreements, packaging, security features, labels, and registration cards.

End-user piracy
This type of piracy involves the duplication of a software by an individual without authorization from the software company. There are many different types of end-user piracy, including:

Using a licensed copy for multiple installations on multiple computers
Benefitting from upgrades without having a licensed copy of the old version that’s being upgraded
Copying programs on discs with the intent of distributing or installing them
Getting a non-commercial, academic, or any other restricted software without the proper license
Changing discs outside or inside your workplace.

Internet piracy
A very widespread issue, internet piracy involves the copying of a software and uploading it on the internet.

Users who download pirated software from the internet are practicing internet piracy. Online software purchases follow the same rules as those bought in CD formats.

Some of the common internet piracy techniques include:

Internet auction websites that provide users with out-of-channel or counterfeit websites
Websites that exchange some software programs for others.
Websites that allow users to download software for free

Peer-to-peer networks that allow users to transfer copyrighted programs and pirated software without authorization.

Hard-disk loading
This is an act perpetuated by many computer sellers. Hard disk loading involves a business installing illegal copies of pirated software on the computers they are selling. They usually do this in order to make their offers more attractive to potential customers.

Client-server overuse
This piracy style involves the overuse of a central copy of a program on a particular network.

If you are someone who has a LAN, and you install software programs on this network for many people, you need to ensure that your license allows you to do so. With client-servier overuse, you are overusing and pirating the software if the number of users using the software are more than the number your software allows.

What can be done to protect from software piracy?

Red Points’ software piracy system scans hot spots of piracy on the net and takes down copyright violations.

Software pirates love to use outlets like linking sites, cyberlockers, P2P platforms, and apps to disseminate pirated content. Red Points’ bot-powered search crawls these locations and more to locate the source of the problem. Then, you can send automated deindex and removal requests based on your rules. Our software piracy protection experts are available to pursue actions further, as well.

You can view your progress in an easy-to-use dashboard that shows the total detections, success rate, and more so you can measure your ROI. Ultimately, stopping software piracy is going to have a positive impact on your company’s bottom line and encourage more users to purchase legitimate programs or licenses. Check out our software piracy prevention and protection solution for more information.

Ready to see Red Points in action?