Protecting Creative Works and Intellectual Property
Our Anti-Piracy page serves as a dedicated space to emphasize our staunch commitment to safeguarding intellectual property rights and combating piracy. We firmly believe that creators deserve recognition and fair compensation for their work. Through this platform, we educate users about the negative impact of piracy on content creators, industries, and society as a whole. Additionally, we provide resources and guidance on how individuals can support legal avenues for accessing and enjoying content while respecting copyright laws. Join us in our efforts to foster a culture of respect for intellectual property and promote a vibrant and sustainable creative ecosystem.
Anti Piracy Desk
Playing a team sport is a great experience. But whether you’re winning or losing, the level of support you receive from your team depends on the behavior and attitude of each member. Software is the same – the success and security of all participants – the developers, sellers and users like yourself – depends on fair play. Software piracy really harms everyone – often including the pirates themselves!
What is software piracy?
Software piracy occurs when software is illegally copied, sold or improperly licensed. Forms of piracy include downloading software serial numbers, keygens, cracks and illegal versions of products. Aside from being illegal, pirated software may also threaten your product’s functionality, invade your privacy and put your reputation at risk.
On the flip side, when you buy genuine, authorized software, you get access to technical support, product updates and future upgrades. Our products all undergo quality assurance testing to ensure they are safe, stable, and without malware.
If you suspect you’re a victim of software piracy, please contact us at nopiracy@axissoftmedia.com
How to recognize piracy
- Check prices – be wary if the discount is more than 50% off
- Quality of packaging – Packaging that is inconsistent with other resellers’ packaging and what is shown on the software maker’s website is most likely illegitimate
- End-User License Agreement – if it’s not there, your software's not authentic
- Contact us – if you’re not sure, email us at nopiracy@axissoftmedia.com, and we can let you know if your vendor is an authorized reseller and if your software is legitimate.
Software piracy isn’t always obvious
Have you heard of softlifting? Probably not…but you may unknowingly be doing it. Softlifting is when you purchase a single license copy of a software program and then load it onto multiple machines, contrary to the terms of agreement.
Beauty of legitimate software
No viruses
The danger of downloading an illegal torrent or cracked software is that it often contains viruses, risking damage to your system or network. With legitimate software, if any security vulnerabilities become apparent, Axis – like other reputable software makers – works fast to send out a corrective patch.
Access to technical support
Axis is quick off the mark with hot fixes and software updates. Buying a legitimate license and activating your product ensures that we can provide you with product support and updates in a variety of languages. With counterfeit or cracked software, you’re on your own.
No fines or jail time
Peace of mind is another big benefit. Customers with a valid license know they aren’t in danger of being fined or being subject to criminal penalties for using a counterfeit program, or cracked software acquired with an illegitimate software serial number.
No identity theft
Your online banking and other sensitive information stays confidential and under your control. There’s no risk of any key-logging and identity theft that can easily happen with counterfeit or pirated software, as well as with illegal keygen programs downloaded on peer-to-peer and file sharing sites.
Value for money with fair pricing
Axis’s software is priced competitively. We understand that not everyone has limitless software budgets, so we make it as easy as possible to play fair. Also, Axis and its partners run offers and promotions from time to time that make pricing even more attractive – just check our website for details!
Your reputation is protected
With legitimate software, you’ll enjoy the respect of your customers and business partners and not have to worry about your business being closed down by the authorities, or the burden of a hefty fine. Companies guilty of using pirated software can be subject to civil penalties, and in some cases even the employees responsible for the software piracy can be subject to criminal penalties if piracy is discovered in their firm. Don’t be tempted by torrents, cracked software or keygens!
More great products from Axis
By playing fair and paying for your Axis product, you benefit too. Your support allows us to continue producing exciting new products, features and content, and providing support for existing products.
Job creation
You’re helping all the people who create, market and distribute software to keep their jobs. And let’s not forget all the professionals who use Axis software to make a living – designers, publishers, artists, you name it – all these people have a right to a secure job and a decent wage.
Contributing to local communities
Software companies help communities. They pay local and national taxes to help fund public services and generate jobs in the local area. These firms can only do that if they sell products, so pirating – whether active or passive – affects many more people than just the software maker. It’s unfair to everyone!
Legitimate software is easy to buy
We make it easy for you to know that you’re buying your product from a reputable dealer. The “Find a Partner” section on our website lists them for you by geography and by partner type. Or you can buy directly from us on our site. Either way, you can be sure you won’t be dealing with shady traders who disappear as soon as they’ve pocketed your hard-earned cash.
Other forms of piracy
- Internet piracy
- Counterfeit software
- End-User Piracy
- Softlifting
- Hard Disk Loading
- Gray Market Piracy
Internet piracy
The internet makes it easy for software pirates to offer torrents, keygens, patch, crack keys and other forms of illegitimate software. But it’s not worth the risk. Let’s take a look at some of the ways cracked software is harmful:
No product or technical support
Help and support is hard – or impossible – to come by if you’ve downloaded an illegal torrent, or bought counterfeit or cracked software from a pirate dealer. You may well find they’ve disappeared by the time you notice a problem. And you’re left to pick up the pieces.
Cracked software often contains viruses.
Pirated software isn’t just illegal, it can also be dangerous! Embedded programs can smuggle viruses and malware into your PC during installation. Also, while antivirus programs do offer some security, they don’t guarantee protection. Using cracked software puts your whole system at risk.
Danger of identity theft
Thieves can steal your personal data through hidden tracking programs in counterfeit software. This type of pirate doesn’t only make money from selling the cracked software – they’re also interested in opening a gateway to your online banking and other sensitive data. Don’t be tempted by any illegal torrent, patch or keygen – it’s not worth the risk!
Counterfeit software
Counterfeit software is when multiple copies are illegally made and distributed by CD or DVD. Sometimes counterfeiters even use software logos and trademarks to make the product look legitimate. Other times it’s easy to tell your product is a fake – if the product name is handwritten or the CD or DVD case is blank, you’ll know you aren’t looking at the real deal. The problem with these situations is that piracy inflates the price of computers and software. Piracy can make PCs and software more expensive – so pirating software or using it knowingly is a self-defeating exercise. Think of it like diving in football – players do it to get an advantage but often end up getting a yellow card instead – and letting their team down.
End-User Piracy
End-user piracy is when someone makes or distributes software copies without paying for or having a valid license for the number of copies in their possession.
For example:
- Companies that buy volume licenses but under-report the additional copies of software they’ve made
- Companies that give employees network access to software, and don’t monitor the number of downloads in order to ensure they’re still compliant with their license agreement
- Companies or individuals who share software among friends, allowing them to illegally copy the product without paying for it.
Using cracked software can ruin people’s professional reputation.
Companies and professionals who knowingly use pirated software – or actively make illegal copies – are exposing themselves to much more than fines or criminal penalties. They’re likely to suffer permanent damage to their reputation and loss of customers too. It’s unfair to customers, business partners and staff – especially if the company is forced to close.
Softlifting.
Softlifting is when you purchase single license software and then load it onto multiple machines, contrary to the terms of agreement.
Hard Disk Loading.
Hard Disk Loading occurs when unauthorized copies of software are loaded onto computers for sale. While there are authorized manufacturers who have a valid agreement to pre-load software onto computers before selling, there are some distributors and resellers who do so illegally. This is no good for the customer because they have no access to product support or upgrades.
Gray Market Piracy
Gray Market Piracy is when unauthorized resellers sell software at unusually low prices, undercutting the authorized/legitimate resellers. Gray Market Piracy can occur in several different forms:
Selling illegitimate OEM software
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) pre-load software onto the machines they sell. This is legal, unless the manufacturer hasn’t entered an agreement with the software maker.
Selling academic software to unauthorized or non-academic organizations
Organizations that qualify for academic software licensing include: accredited schools, faculties, full or part-time matriculated students, academic supervisory organizations, hospitals, libraries and museums, as well as non-profit charitable and religious organizations. If you or your organization don’t meet these requirements, you shouldn’t buy education editions of Axis software.
Distribution of CD Only products
CD Only is a replacement CD, which customers can purchase if their original software CD gets damaged. To be eligible to order a CD Only replacement, customers must own a valid product license or box product. If you don’t meet these requirements, you should not have a CD Only product in your possession.
Selling Not For Resale (NFR) software
This type of product cannot be sold for any reason. It is only distributed under limited conditions – usually for software evaluation purposes – and typically only by the software publisher. If an NFR product is being offered for sale, it is violating the product’s license terms and conditions. Distribution by the seller constitutes patent, trademark and copyright infringement. There can be legal repercussions for both the buyer and the seller.
Using language packs
Axis does not sell individual language packs for software and does not support or authorize the use of language packs for our products. Any use of unauthorized additional components or language packs is a violation of the EULA. If you purchased software in another language by mistake, please contact your reseller for a return/exchange.
Axis combating piracy
We invite anyone who knows or suspects that Axis software is being used or distributed illegally to contact us at
nopiracy@axissoftmedia.com. We’ve also partnered with the following anti-piracy organizations to expand and strengthen our efforts to pursue software pirates, educate consumers and reduce software piracy worldwide:
Business Software Alliance
Since 1988, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) has been the voice of the world's leading software developers. The BSA has filed more than 600 lawsuits against suspected software pirates. This, of course, represents only a tiny fraction of the criminals, which is why it’s important to report suspected cases of software piracy to the BSA.
Software and Information Industry Association
The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection. SPA Anti-Piracy, a division of the Software & Information Industry Association, provides a balance between education and enforcement (including filing lawsuits) when dealing with software piracy.
Take action
Are you a victim of software piracy? Here’s what you can do:
Report software piracy to Axis.
If you know or suspect that our software is being used or distributed illegally, please contact us at
nopiracy@axissoftmedia.com. If you live outside of India, you can phone the local Business Software Alliance (BSA) Anti-Piracy hotlines in your area or contact the BSA by email.
Visit the Business Software Alliance or the Software and Information Industry Association.
These organizations can help you find software management and information tools to help you effectively control the use of software within your organization. They can also provide advice or help you protect yourself against business interruptions due to viruses, additional costs to fix the problem and possible legal action.
Contact consumer organizations
If you suspect a company or organization of software piracy, you can file a complaint with organizations such as the Better Business Bureau.
File a complaint / help shut down pirate sites.
If you purchased illegal software from an online auction site, you can file a complaint.
Typically, if the auction site is aware of vendors who are taking advantage of innocent buyers, the site may prevent that vendor from selling its products on that auction site in the future. Some auction sites let you make comments about a particular vendor so other potential buyers can be forewarned if a vendor is selling unauthorized product.
Contact the seller.
This may be difficult if the software pirates have packed up and left. But if you can locate and contact the person or organization that sold you the cracked software, you should demand a refund.
Together, let’s beat piracy!
