I am sure at some stage we all are guilty of using Pirated Software. There has been so much reported and discussed about this in recent years that it has got me thinking — Do We Really Need Pirated Software?
The conclusion I have come to is NO!
Let us first of all examine briefly what Piracy is all about?
I found this on Autodesk site and it sums up the matter quite excellently in the first 4 points, which are reproduced below:

Software “piracy” is the unauthorized possession and/or use of software. It is a crime no different from shoplifting software from store shelves. Purchasers of software do not actually own the software. What they own is the right to use the software according to the terms of the publisher’s license. Purchasers agree to abide by the terms of the license, which typically limits copying privileges to a single copy for backup purposes.
All legal software is supplied with a license. This applies whether the software is acquired for use on one machine, for networking across a number of machines, or if it is pre-installed as part of a system. The license is designed to protect the rights of software developers and is enforced by copyright laws.
Piracy may take many forms, including:
* unauthorized copying of software programs purchased legitimately, also known as “end-user” piracy. This can occur when the number of PCs installed with the software exceeds the licenses that an individual or company has purchased;
* gaining illegal access to protected software, also knwn as “cracking”; nd
* reproducing and/or distributing counterfeit or unauthorized software, often over the counter, or sold, bartered, or shared by individuals on the Internet; and software programs pre-installed by vendors who sell computers without providing the accompanying software license.

The majority of software piracy is....