Download a software is a sin?

[vz71]

I call it Abandonware.

Does the licensing agreement that comes with the software specify that usage is free after a given number of revisions?

Does the licensing agreement specify that the software becomes free once a given age is reached?

How about support? perhaps the license agreement specifies that the software becomes free when support is no longer supplied…

There are conditions that would allow for the free use of software, but they must be found in the license agreement.

If the agreement (that you must agree to when you install the software) does not specify a circumstance in which the software is free, then it is not. And you would be guilty of stealing dishonesty.

Now I have heard of software that the original company went out of business. No other company bought them out, and affectively the license agreement is an agreement with no one.
But this is rare. Almost always, there is a company on the other side of the user agreement.

 

[AHapka]

Does the licensing agreement specify that the software becomes free once a given age is reached?

Well, for sure it would be in the public domain once the copyright expires, which is around 95 years or so. Though I think by then I might want to pay for a more upgraded version.

 

[Reynardus]

In a way. I mean, stuff like that is my inspiration. Sometimes I’m even asked by my teachers to submit my stories to them.

However, I’m not exactly saying I have a ‘right’. It’s just that obtaining ‘original’ stuff, given my country’s economy, is close to impossible. They’re not as easily obtainable here. I’m practically doing this out of desperation. Although, if I had managed to live in countries like the US or even Japan, I would’ve shifted to buying original immediately since prices for the stuff I need aren’t as expensive as they are here.

You should ask a priest from your country who’s more familiar with circumstances there. Perhaps next time you go to confession.

When I asked my priest about piracy, he said some exceptions are possible when it comes to life - like someone destitute trying to learn a skill for a decent livelihood and illegal software was the only way to do it. He said it was pretty much a “gray area.”

It’s a tricky area depending on your circumstances and where you live. Once again, I recommend you should ask your local priest rather than an international forum.

 

[Julian_Peters]

Thank you to all who have participated. This thread is now closed.