License

• When a piece of software is purchased, the purchaser enters into a licensing agreement with the copyright holder, giving the purchaser the right to use the software not including the right to replicate and resell the software. In the U.S., an individual convicted of software piracy is liable for damages up to $150,000.
  
  

Security

• Unlicensed software available for download from websites is often linked to spyware and computer viruses used in identity theft. The Business Software Alliance (BSA) reports a 2006 study found 61 percent of software downloaded from peer to peer websites were infected with spyware, Trojans and key loggers.
  
  

Updates

• According to the BSA, unlicensed software increases the risk of computers being infected with viruses and spyware. Unlicensed software does not receive automatic updates, leaving an operating system open to threats created after the software was released.