Is this software piracy, and therefore, a sin?

[GG_Gecko]

Hi all, it’s been a hot second for me.

I have a quick question to ask. I got into a bit of a pickle when I was editing a video for my YouTube Channel. I found out the software I was using would put a watermark on it (Which would cover half the screen) after I had rendered said-video. You had to pay a monthly fee of about 60$ for the editing software, and I’m a teenager who doesn’t have an income.

So, I panicked and looked up how to get rid of it, and found a tutorial. It had a registration code that worked if you turned off the WiFi, so I did that, and it worked. However, now, it’s been about half an hour since I’ve done this, and I’m questioning my decision. (I haven’t uploaded the video to YouTube yet.)

I’ve technically registered this piece of software, but you could argue it’s in a counter-feit way. Do you think I’ve sinned, and if so, is this mortal?

 

[sealabeag]

I would say yes this is a sin. Whether grave matter or not, I don’t know. You have pirated the software and didn’t pay for it. That’s theft, essentially. My advice: Go ahead with uploading your video but pay for a month’s subscription to the software. That way you won’t have to redo your video and your conscience is clear.
Edit: just another thought - these programmes usually have a free trial you can get to try it out for a month. But maybe you’ve used that up.

 

[GG_Gecko]

Thanks for the answer, it’s helped a lot! I’ve told my parents about this and they’re going to help me out by paying for a month’s worth of the software. I also haven’t used the free trial yet, so I’m in luck there.

 

[Inquiry]

Yes, it was piracy. No it wasn’t mortal because you didn’t realize what you were doing until afterwards. It sounds like you have that taken care of now, so no worries.

As an aside, unless you are really pushing the boundaries of the software you probably don’t need a program that costs $60 a month to do what you want to do.

 

[vz71]

I’ve technically registered this piece of software

But did you properly pay for the software?

 

[ProdglArchitect]

This is software piracy, plain and simple. Sorry.

I used to do video editing for fun and I used a program called Sony Vegas. It’s less expensive than other options, especially if you wait till Humble Bundle has it on sale. I picked up a copy of it plus a bunch of other software for $30, completely legal. Sony seems to put their stuff up on there once or twice a year.

There are a lot of free options available to you, some easier to use than others.

Lightworks is a powerful free software. You have to pay for 4k video, but that’s probably not an issue for you. I found it to be a little more difficult to learn than Vegas, though the basics are pretty much the same. There are also tutorials on Youtube that can help you learn. With a bit of patience and practice you could be doing your work both freely and legally.

 

[kapp19]

It’s worth mentioning in confession. And why delay? But make a good act of contrition in the meantime. It doesn’t “feel like stealing” but it essentially is. It seems borderline for grave matter - as to the amount, and due to the “infinite” resource which software and similar things consist in (unlike, say, stealing a computer). It would also depend on whether you would have paid for it if you had had the funds, whether you realized that you were actually completely “taking” the software (as opposed to seeing it as simply getting rid of the watermark - subtly different, but different), and also to what extent the company would know and care about the fake code (and I would say that you should tell them that such a code/process exists)… just shoot an email to customer service or whatever with the URL to the tutorial. Maybe they don’t know. (I really would think this is important to do.)

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

I’ve technically registered this piece of software

Not unless the code came from the vendor, in which case, why the need to jump through any hoops or turn off WiFi, etc.? I think you can answer the rest on your own.