Owing to the ever increasing prevalence of software piracy and the alarming rise in costs to global economies, this research evaluated the Theory of Planned Behaviour and looked to determine if there are any relationships between the constructs under the model and intentions to carry out a specific behaviour, namely the copying of unauthorised computer software. The theory suggests that should attitudes and social norms favour the pirating of software and should the individual have the necessary perceived behavioural control and selfefficacy then they will be more likely to have intention to commit a certain act. A quantitative study looking at 225 individuals from organisations in the fields of manufacturing, finance and information technology was carried out to evaluate the theory’s claims. Correlations and linear regressions were run to analyse the data and it emerged that attitudes were the major predictor of intentions to pirate software accounting for up to 55% of the variance. Despite the perceived behavioural control variable there was significant support for the predictive value of the different constructs under the Theory of Planned Behaviour as well as the construct of self-efficacy.

This quantitative study is designed to examine possible cross-national differences between a Zambian and a South Africa student sample on specific aspects of Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory in relation to software piracy. Software piracy is when people make copies of the computer software without permission or they load software onto more machines than the licensed agreement says they can. A questionnaire composed of previously developed scales measuring attitudes, social norms, piracy intentions, incentives, deterrents, self-efficacy and moral disengagement within the context of software piracy was collated. During economics classes in a major University in Zambia and one in South Africa 150 copies of the questionnaire were handed out. The South African sample consisted of 37 males and 34 females all aged between 18-28, 44 were in 2nd year and 27 were in 3rd year. The Zambian sample consisted of 57 males and 12 females, 53 were between 18-28, 12 between 29-38 and 4 between 39-49, 27 were in their 3rd years of study and 42 in 4th year. The scales had adequate reliabilities (.60 to .89). There was sufficient evidence to suggest that there is a statistical difference between the two countries on attitudes and social norms. The South African sample had more positive attitudes and more favourable social norms than Zambia. South Africa reported higher extrinsic motivators (monetary, reinforcement and reciprocal exchange, and self-evaluative and reciprocal exchange) and Zambia reported higher intrinsic motivators and being deterred by the threat of harsh punishments. There was also sufficient evidence to suggest that attitudes, social norms and self-efficacy predict (in order of best predictors) piracy intention in both samples. Moral disengagement did not act as a moderator or mediator between attitudes, social norms and self-efficacy and piracy intention in either sample. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

This study is to explore how Chinese software users perceive the issues of software copyright and piracy. Tianya Community, the largest online public forum in China, was selected as a site to study users' online communication about software copyright and piracy. Data were collected over five discussion boards in which software copyright and piracy were discussed extensively to retrieve 561 posting threads with 6,150 messages ranging from March 1, 1999 to June 30, 2007. Lindlof and Taylor's (2002) qualitative communication research methods were used to locate and analyze the recurring dominant themes within the online discussion by Chinese Internet users. The study revealed two opposing discourses existing in software users? perceptions, which represent globalization and anti-globalization processes surrounding software copyright and piracy. Mittleman and Chin's (2005) theoretical framework was adopted to interpret material and spiritual tensions between human/material factors, such as software owners, software users, China, and foreign developed countries. Meanwhile, the actor-network theory was applied to map out the roles of non-human/non-material factors, such as new technology, patriotism, and Chinese culture, which function to moderate the existing confrontations between globalization and anti-globalization by preventing software users from totally falling down into either direction of supporting or opposing software piracy. As a result, both forces of conformity and resistance were found to coexist within software users' perceptions and fragment their identities. To deal with fragmented identities, Chinese software users generally adopted a flexible, discriminative position composed by a series of distinctions, between offline purchasing of pirated discs and software download, between enterprise users and individual users, between foreign and local software companies, between freeware/open-source software and copyright/pirated software, between software companies and independent software developers, and between conceptual recognition and behavioral practice. Meanwhile, traditional resistance movements of Polanyi's (1957) counter-movements and Gramsci's (1971) counter-hegemony were reduced from collective contestations with openly declared call for resistance to Scott's (1990) notion of infra-politics that was communicated among software users and expressed in their everyday practice of piracy use but not in public and government discourse.

Prior to the general availability of high speed Internet, the spread of piratedsoftware required the transfer of a physical copy like a disk, which limited therate at which illegal software could be distributed. The low transfer raterestricted software piracy to levels which producers found acceptable becausethe associated losses could be absorbed. Large scale cases of piracy were rareand when they did occur the legal system provided suitable retribution. However,recent advances in computer technology have made the need for a physical copyobsolete. Piracy is now a widespread, decentralized problem in which millions ofindividuals take part. Without technical means of identifying pirated software,the protection afforded by the legal system is no longer easy to enforce or costeffective.The research in this dissertation addresses the threat of software piracythrough the exploration of two techniques: software watermarking and softwarebirthmarking. Neither of these techniques can be used to prevent software theftentirely. Instead, they are used to detect occurrences of theft after the fact.One of the limiting factors of the protection provided by the legal system isthat it cannot be used to identify an incidence of piracy. Softwarewatermarking and birthmarking fill this gap, thus providing complimentaryprotection to the established legal protection. In this research, we analyze thestate of the art in both software watermarking and birthmarking and we propose anovel scheme in each of the areas which make significant improvements overexisting techniques.

Software piracy In this thesis I explore the current state of software piracy in the Czech Republic, which proves to be quite demanding due to its illegal nature and the lack of statistical data. I also take a look at the current legal protection which is awarded to the authors of computer software. Even with new trends in software piracy I conclude, that the current protection is satisfactory. I also explain how international treaties and european legislation influence czech laws.

The thesis focuses on software piracy mainly in the context of cloud computing. Its goals are to analyze contemporary software piracy with the focus on its forms, reasons leading to it and on antipiracy techniques. Second part of the thesis defines cloud computing and focuses on two basic interdependencies with software piracy: cloud as a pirates' tool and cloud as means to fight the piracy. Based on the findings of previous parts, concluding part of the thesis suggests set of recommendations for involved parties (especially software providers, cloud service providers and cloud service users).

Software Piracy Abstract This master thesis deals with software piracy, and other phenomena that comes with it. The phenomena are primarily warez groups, crackers and hackers. The work itself is divided into five parts. First part sets out foundation that this thesis is based on, it also defines terms used in this work. It is focused on computer programs, videogames. Videogames are the main target of warez groups. Warez groups compete with other groups to be the first one to break the anti-piracy protection implemented into the videogame by game developers to prevent pirates from using their videogame illegally. Second part of the work analyzes Czech and international law that is applicable onto computer programs. Its main focus is Czech law; however, it is important to describe international as it is the base for Czech law. Main part of this section deals with intellectual property rights, but administrative law protection, and criminal law protection are mentioned as well. Third part analyzes software piracy as stand-alone phenomenon, points out its declining popularity. It also describes forms of software piracy. Fourth part of this work analyzes the production of pirated goods. It describes the process that is behind software piracy, how warez groups supply the public with illegal stuff. It describes...

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Johannesburg, South Africa, 2018 / The global adoption of mobile phones has fundamentally changed life as we know it. This study hopes to understand if mobile- and/or smartphones have changed the way in which work and home domains are constructed and what the consequences are on the individual’s workfamily balance. More importantly, are individuals able to self-regulate the flow of communication from the work into the home domain via a mobile- and/or smartphone in order to maintain the intricate work-family balance. To determine the plausibility/feasibility of this hypothesis, the study builds on Clark's (2000) Border theory with respect to work-life balance and border violations, bearing recent technological advances in mind, through the incorporation of Bandura’s (1986) self-regulation mechanism to explain the border management mechanism. To determine the validity of this hypothesis, a mixed-methods study was conducted which utilised a managerial participant sample recruited from South Africa in three phases; a pilot study (N = 30); a primary sample of a further 227 managers; and in-depth follow-up interviews with 27 managers and their partners. To determine the relationship between self-regulation and mobile phone usage for after-hours work in the home domain, Pearson’s correlation coefficients were used. The relationship between self-regulation and work-family balance was further explored through moderated multiple linear regressions, using a model from Baron and Kenny (1986), which created further explorative points which were investigated in the 27 interviews. The interviews were conducted to determine if individuals understand their afterhours mobile phone usage for work purposes and this was analysed via thematic content analysis (TCA). There was evidence for relationships between self-regulation and the time spent on organisational work within the work day and at home (after hours), which results in an impact on the development of work-family conflict. The relationship between the mobile phone use for work can be attributed to self-regulation, which implies that self-regulation is an intermediary mechanism. Moderated multilinear regression, unexpectedly, showed that individuals with low (deficient) self-regulatory ability, facilitated work ubiquitously with their mobile phones while simultaneously increasing their own self-esteem, as it supported their own work-family balance. The interviews uncovered three different border-keeper groups (borderexpanders, border-adapters, and border-enforcers). The outcomes of this research indicates that mobile- and/or smartphones have the ability to alter the border construction between the work and home domains as well as the intricate balance between them. Keywords: Work-family balance, Border theory, Mobile phones, Smartphones, Self-regulation, Self-esteem, South African managers / GR2019

Abstarct Sofware piracy is one of the serious problems related to the developement of information society. Aim of my thesis was to describe basic attributes of this social phenomenon, characterize some of the legal and extralegal aspects associated wiht it and provide closer insight to "behind the scenes" of software piracy. The paper itself is composed of four thematic areas. First part (chapter 2) provides introduction to the theme and is devoted to legal protection of computer programs provided by relevant provisions of Czech Copyright Act (No 121/2000). Second part (chaper 3) addresses the actual characteristics of the software piracy phenomenon. My effort here was focused on finding a suitable definition of this term, outlining possible causes and effects of software piracy and describing some of the means used for distribution of pirated digital goods. Besides the description of warez scene as a pirate community sui generis, this chapter also includes subsection devoted to related ilegal ativities, such as hacking, phishing, spamming and cybersquatting. Third part of my thesis (chapter 4) analyzes the liability under criminal, administrative, civil and copyright law. Finally the fourth and final part (chapter 5) covers the basics of secondary liability of internet service providers, based on type of...

Software piracy Abstract This diploma thesis is focused on the topic of "Software piracy", especially with regard to the legal regulation of the Czech legal order, primarily to the regulation of the Act No. 121/200 Coll., on Copyright and Rights Related to Copyright and on Amendment to Certain Acts (the Copyright Act), as amended. The main goal of this diploma thesis is to describe in complexity the software piracy, its types and present the individual kinds of malware, with regard to the two possible approaches to the topic. Formally, the thesis is divided into eight chapters which are further divided into individual subchapters. The first chapter is devoted to a brief outline of the history and current trends in software piracy. The second chapter deals with the definition of the term software and describes the basic properties of computer programme. In the third chapter, individual areas of the legal protection of computer programmes are described, i.e. areas of international law, European law, and copyright, administrative and criminal law of the Czech Republic. There are also briefly presented some other forms of legal protection of software, such as contract-based protection or patent protection of software. The fourth chapter discusses the categorization of software with regard to the individual...