It's a custom that's spanned a variety of technologies: One friend has a popular audio or video tape, or even a CD, and he kindly saves his buddy time and money by providing a copy. Sure, the buddy doesn't get the neat packaging with the lyrics or film review, but that's where the ramifications end. At least, that's where most people think the ramifications end.

Fast-forward to today's corporate version of this scenario: An IT manager or department head purchases one copy of a software package and decides to save his company money by making multiple copies for multiple users, then some of those users make copies for their friends and family. The users get the software they need, the friends and family get a free perk, and the company saves money. Everyone wins, right? Wrong.

The idea that everyone wins and nobody gets hurt when people copy software illegally has resulted in the widespread problem of software piracy, legally defined as the unauthorized copying or use of a computer program in any manner other than what is permitted by copyright law or the software licensing agreement. Approximately 35 percent of the business software in the United States is obtained illegally. In 1993,the last year for which statistics are available, worldwide illegal copying cost legitimate software developers more than $12.5 billion annually, with a loss of $2.2 billion in the United States alone.

Ethical issues aside, the practical reasons for using original software far outnumber the up-front savings of pirating stolen software.

By providing original software, executives ensure that employees have complete and accurate software documentation, reliable applications with full technical support, access to software upgrades at discount prices and complete training.

According to Elsen, users of unauthorized or "bootleg" software risk introducing viruses into their personal computers, their network systems and their entire business operations. She says that this is because counterfeit software does not include the quality controls built into original software, making the copies more prone to computer viruses.

Besides the lack of quality assurance. individuals and organizations using pirated software lose the benefits of documentation and technical support that accompany legitimate software. Doing so prohibits the complete utilization of the computer software program due to a lack of employee training.

Unfortunately, the practical arguments for utilizing original software vs. counterfeit versions have not convinced a large segment of the marketplace. So it's up to the lawmakers and law enforcement agencies to accomplish what moral and practical arguments have not.

Despite stringent laws and tough penalties, while the Internet increases, so will software piracy.

Indeed, users of pirated software deny the software developer the revenue it deserves, as well as denying themselves the documentation and support they need to utilize the software fully. Just as importantly, the industry is denied the portion of that revenue that would go toward research and development of future software. Long term, everyone suffers.