Unit 4 piracy

WAREZ GROUPS

Read and memorize the following words:

piracy — пиратство

warez — краденное програмное обеспечение

obtain — получать

copyrighted software — защищенное авторским правом программное обеспечение

profit — прибыль

instead — взамен

releasing — "заливать", выкладывать

commonplace — банальность

electronic bulletin board systems — электронные доски объявлений

peer-to-peer — от одного к одному

suppliers — поставщики

to determine — определять

copy protection — защита от копирования

tracking — отслеживание

encoders — кодеры

Warez groups are organized bands of software pirates. Warez groups illegally obtain, crack, and make copies of copyrighted software, movies, and music. These files are known as ‘‘releases’’ in the warez community. The groups are not typically motivated by financial profit. Instead, warez groups compete with one another to be first in releasing pirated software onto the Internet and to the community of users who participate in ‘‘the warez scene.’’ Releasing illegally acquired (i.e., pirated) software is considered a game among group members. Winners gain respect and prestige. The term ‘‘warez’’ was originally slang for software, but later expanded to include music and movies. Warez groups have been commonplace since the early 1980s and have used a variety of different file transfer technologies. Initially they used electronic bulletin board systems to share releases. Later, as Internet access became available to the public, other methods such as Internet Relay Chat and USENET newsgroups were used. Currently, releases most commonly are provided to end users through peer-to-peer software.

Warez members are typically categorized according to their primary role within the group. Leaders manage and direct other group members, determining which types of software, music, and movies to crack and release. Suppliers locate and provide copies of releases. Releases are more highly valued by warez groups if they have not yet been made available commercially. Crackers remove the copy protection from the release. This allows the release to be used without a legitimate license.

If the release is a movie or music file, encoders compress the raw movie and music releases into smaller files, such as MP3s or AVIs before release. Packagers compress the release and split it into smaller files to make it easier to transfer online. Packagers also add additional information about the release in .nfo (pronounced ‘‘info’’) files that can include group name, file size, and license information. Couriers then enter information about the release into a group database for tracking prior to distributing the releases between top-level servers.

Many people distribute illegally acquired music, movie, or software files on their own, independent of any warez group, but are still considered part of the warez scene. There are a wide variety of different types of warez groups, many specializing in different types of software. Razor 1911 is widely considered to be the oldest surviving warez group, having been established in 1985. In contrast, the warez group known as Drink or Die (DoD) was disbanded after an anti-online piracy campaign known as Operation Buccaneer was carried out by the U.S. Department of Justice in December 2001. Prior to this, the Pirates with Attitude (PWA) group were rivals of DoD and became well known for releasing Microsoft’s Windows 95 operating system software before its commercial release. PPWA was also later disbanded after members were prosecuted under the federal No Electronic Theft (NET) Act of 1997.

Questions:

What are the warez groups?

What is the 'warez scene'?

How are Warez members typically categorized?

Who are crackers?

Name the oldest surviving warez group. When was it established?

Do you know people distributing illegally acquired music, movie, or software files on their own? What do you think about this problem?

SOFTWARE PIRACY

Read and memorize the following words:

consequences — последствия

largely — в значительной степени

significantly — существенно

properly — надлежащим образом

financial penalties — финансовые санкции

negative publicity — отрицательная гласность

likelihood — вероятность

substantial reward — значительное вознаграждение

prosecution — уголовное преследование

imprisonment — тюремное заключение

damage to data — повреждение данных

remain undiscovered — оставаться необнаруженными

processing documents — обработка документов

labor disputes — трудовые споры

public confidence — общественное доверие

overall profitability — все доходы

successful prosecution — успешное судебное преследование

substantial reward — существенное вознаграждение

For individuals, the legal consequences of software piracy are largely the same as for other crimes and include fines, imprisonment, and the confiscation of equipment. Those who work in the computer industry also face the possibility of their reputations being damaged.

The use of pirated software significantly increases the risk of virus infection. This is because many “cracked” programs and cracks are distributed by virus writers in an attempt to infect as many computers as possible in a short time.

The use of programs that have been altered by cracking groups also raises the possibility of damage to data. Whenever a program is modified, there is a risk that it will stop working properly. However, some problems are not immediately noticeable and may remain undiscovered for weeks, months, or even years. If this happens, errors may accumulate throughout all of the data files used by the program. For individual users, this may mean the loss of personal files, such as word-processing documents. For businesses, however, it may mean the loss of accounts data, customer records, and other information critical to the company’s operations. Business users also face a number of other difficulties related to the use of pirated software. Some of these include:

• Financial penalties, such as fines. The company might also be exposed to both criminal and civil action.

• Legal action taken by employees. If employees are encouraged to use pirated software, they might face action from unions, colleagues, and other parties. In such an event, an employee may take legal action against the company for exposing him to such risks.

• Negative publicity resulting from action taken by software companies or the Business Software Alliance. Such publicity would be likely to damage relationships with customers and suppliers. The impact on public confidence might also harm sales and overall profitability. Disruption to everyday activities caused by the company being deprived of its application software. In some cases, even a temporary disruption might harm overall profitability. For instance, relationships with clients might be harmed if the company fails to maintain high standards of customer service.

• Reduced morale across the company, causing productivity losses and other problems, such as labor disputes.

It is worth noting that the risk of facing action from the BSA or other agencies increases with the size of the organization. The bigger the organization, the higher the likelihood of finding illegal software on the company’s systems. In addition, there is an increased risk that an employee may report the company to an antipiracy organization, especially since many of these organizations offer a substantial reward for information leading to a successful prosecution.

Questions:

What are the legal consequences of software piracy for individuals?

What risks do you have using pirated software?

Are all the problems immediately noticeable? Why not?

Why do the cracked program work incorrectly?

What are the difficulties related with the use of pirated software?

May an employee report the company to an antipiracy organization?

MUSIC AND MOVIE PIRACY

Read and memorize the following words:

counterfeit — поддельный

have increased significantly — значительно увеличились

estimates — расчеты, оценка

rather — скорее

virtual jukebox — виртуальный проигрыватель

file-sharing programs — программы обмена файлами

decade — десятилетие

annual losses worldwide — ежегодные потери во всем мире

to grow — возрастать

entertainment industry — индустрия развлечений

due to — из-за

equipment — оборудование

free of charge — бесплатно

to distribute files — распределять файлы

broadband connection — широкополосное соединение

virtual jukebox — виртуальное устройство автоматической смены дисков

burned to DVD — записанный на DVD

become available — стать доступным

before release — до выпуска

Music piracy has become an important issue since the turn of the century. As the Internet has grown, sales of counterfeit CDs through online auctions, Web sites, newsgroups, spam, and other channels have increased significantly. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) estimates that 1 billion counterfeit CDs were sold in 2002 and 1.7 billion discs in 2003. Although sales of counterfeit CDs fell to 1.2 billion in 2004, this may have been because of a growth in the use of file-sharing programs. Rather than paying for counterfeit discs, users may prefer to download music free of charge and create their own CDs. Music can also be downloaded freely from newsgroups, Web sites, and other services.

The problem of music piracy has been compounded by the practice of distributing files in a highly compressed format. For instance, the well-known MP3 format can allow more than 200 tracks to be stored on a single CD. These formats also make it quick and easy to download files; a broadband connection enables a whole album to be downloaded in just a few minutes. Playing music downloaded from the Internet is also simple, since Windows and other operating systems arrive complete with powerful media players. If users dislike these programs, numerous alternatives are available free of charge, allowing almost any computer to be turned into a virtual jukebox. It is also possible to play music away from a computer with the use of portable MP3 players, most regular DVD players, some hi-fi systems, or special radio transmitters that “stream” music from a computer to a receiver in another room. Movie piracy has also grown steadily over the past decade. The Motion Picture Association of America 8 estimates that the annual losses worldwide due to movie piracy grew from 2.2 billion in 1997 to $3.5 billion in 2002. The MPAA also estimates that the U.S. entertainment industry loses $3.5 billion each year due to movie piracy—and this figure does not include losses due to Internet piracy.

File-sharing programs, newsgroups, and other Internet services have also had an impact on movie piracy. Like music files, movies can be compressed to relatively small sizes, usually without any noticeable loss of quality. Formats such as DivX and Xvid allow entire movies to fit on a single CD. Movies can be played back on a personal computer, standalone media player, or on some domestic DVD players. It is also possible to convert a downloaded movie into other formats so that it can be used with other equipment or burned to DVD.

Like crackers, organized groups of rippers compete with each other to become the first to release a movie. This means that new movies are often available for download within hours of theatrical release. In some cases, movies can become available months before release.

Questions:

What do you know about music piracy? What is the main reason of it?

How many counterfeit CDs were sold in 2002?

Is it simple and free of charge to download music from the Internet? Why?

How MP3s can compound the problem of music piracy?

Why has movie piracy also grown steadily over the past decade?

Have you ever tried to download a movie before release?