Yes, pirated software has been around since, well, software – period. People have been using unlicensed software for multiple purposes, from such benign things as getting the latest operating system free of charge, with pirated Windows leading the stakes, to spreading illegal software programs for personal profit.

Software piracy is as old as time, so some computer users have been looking kindly towards this activity. Well, tough luck; in this article, we will not be on your side. Although the old days when we were looking for the latest Need for Speed without the Need-for-Speed-money is a part of our history as well, nowadays, personal computers are working much better with an original Windows operating system, for example, than pirated copy. And we will tell you all about it below!

Of course, this is the weakest of them all, as all the arguments regarding the morality of some action rarely can prevent it; nevertheless, the famous – you wouldn’t steal Mercedes-Benz ad from back then is kind of true. People have been working tirelessly to provide you with the best software on the market, so it is only fair that they would be compensated fairly.

Of course, one copy of Microsoft Windows from the example before won’t suddenly make Bill Gates broke, but every little thing counts. Depending on where you look, it’s about 50 billion dollars in loss with every pirated software installed on a computer.

Internet piracy is a giant market, with PC users illegally copying cracked software programs worldwide. Most pirated versions can be found in countries with lax copyright laws, like China or Russia, but there are a lot of cases of offline or online piracy in the US and Europe as well.

In the end, you can think about it this way – it’s not only the fact that you are using the cracked version of the software. It’s the fact that you make it much harder for a software company to provide you with the entertainment you want. Think about it: you go to the movies and pay a few bucks for 2 hours of fun. With games, you get hundreds of hours for 50 dollars. It’s not that much compared to the amount of entertainment you receive. And supporting the developers will result in a better product in the end. So it’s a win-win for everyone!

If the morality of it will not convince you, there’s also the law argument. If you have a downloaded Windows pirated version without any license agreement, you may face potentially problematic situations from the law's point of view. There are plenty of penalties that you can get, depending on where you live. For example, in some cases in the US, people and companies have been fined up to $150,000, and some states treat piracy as a felony. So, if legal installation running is something that you find problematic, we feel the thousands of dollars in legal fees and potential jail time is a much more difficult situation. 

Of course, no one will sentence you for getting a laptop on Craigslist with preinstalled Windows. After you call the technical support, you won’t get the FBI at your door, but spreading illegal copies is a rather grand copyright infringement that you can get up to five years in prison in some circumstances. So, it's a bad idea all around.

Another bad thing about pirated copies is that they severely limit your software's potential, especially when you have an internet connection, hindering its full utilization. For example, you can imagine that Windows Defender, which automatically scans your new PC in case you have any malware, will probably not protect you from random attacks if you have one of the unauthorized copies.

Additionally, you cannot use technical support, multiple installations are gone, and getting the best out of your software is out of the question. It’s essential with operating systems, as you may need to resolve plenty of issues, but you will not be able to access them. Pirating will also cause you to be unable to connect to the internet, as you will be not only risking your computer’s health but also – the system will try to connect to the Microsoft servers if you have Windows as intended.

One of the greatest strengths of an operating system is its compatibility with multiple software. With Windows, you get compatibility with pretty much everything, minus Apple products, for the most part. The most significant weakness of an operating system that was pirated, apart from all its viruses and morality, is that it’s essentially compatible with nothing.

Of course, you can say that you can go around the system and try to install Google Chrome from a pen drive, but it was not ten years ago, and no one does that anymore. The best thing about those new interconnected systems is that they are interlinked. You receive updates constantly, and your network is great because it lets you use each device in connection to each other. On the other hand, a pirated version means that you may be using some of those elements, but it will not be even remotely close to what you can do with an original distribution.

From mobile connectivity through apps and updates – everything will have to go through a longer and more problematic route. And it’s not the way to go in this new and improved environment.

Using pirated software does not make you a bad guy per se. But it certainly does help the rotten guts to gain the funds to do their cybercrimes. Many criminal organizations sell pirated software to gain the necessary tools for their other operations. Whether those would be hackers from Russia involved in election meddling or some Far-East dictatorships that spy on their citizens – pirated software has risks and consequences far beyond what we would consider our reach. Supporting it by buying pirated goods is a problem for you and a much wider net of individuals.

And finally, we have the one and only – I thought it was something else – kind of situation. Of course, we believe that you wanted to get the Microsoft Windows 11 in order to finally play the new FIFA game. Unfortunately, you have also downloaded some spyware, and there is plenty of illegal traffic going through your computer with people selling drugs using your IP.

It would be funny if not for the fact that it’s completely real. Hackers are often using people without the security of original software and sell their pirated boot, loaded with spyware, in order to get as much data from the user as possible. Files, passwords, anything they want – there are no limitations if you can’t even detect that it is actually working in your computer’s “veins.”

And if activated, it can be full of bugs and threats to your online safety. There have been instances of people losing access to their credit card banking systems and even losing entire personalities to some guy in Yemen or whatnot. So, you may opt to save a few bucks, or you can risk potentially getting into an extremely problematic situation where the authorities will call you because some spy used your name and data to infiltrate some war-torn country. Not the best way to spend an afternoon, isn’t it?

We empathize with people who feel paying 140 dollars for a Microsoft Windows 11 product key is a bit much, especially if you have not one computer but multiple ones needing Microsoft products. It can be a job-related situation; maybe you have kids – whatever the case, it’s a big deal to pay hundreds of dollars just to install an original copy of a system. But, you feel like you are a good person who wants to avoid piracy and be on the right side of history.

Well, in that case, we have a treat for you! At RoyalCDKeys, programs do not have to be extremely expensive. People should be able to utilize the potential of those services without resorting to pirated copies. We present the Microsoft Windows operating system for just a few dollars. It’s an official, legit version of the system that you can use for multiple purposes, for your business or home usage, whatever you need. And now, let’s get into why it’s a bad idea to download the original product without paying for it.

And here we are, at the end of our road. We hope that you found this presentation interesting, as we were trying to crack this stinky egg called piracy. Of course, people from China or India who are pirating software in large quantities will likely not listen to our arguments, but we hope that at least some of those will reach you and convince you that getting legal software is the way to go.

We could understand it if it was expensive like back in the day, but with the instance of Royal CD Key’s great offer of Microsoft Windows being available for just a few bucks, there are no excuses, really. In the end, piracy is theft, like everything else. You gain access to something you didn’t buy, you get the product that you shouldn’t have access to, and it’s as simple as that – you shouldn’t do it. On top of that, it will be just a worse product, so it’s a lose-lose kind of situation.

Thanks for stopping by! If you liked this article, be sure to check out other ones on our site. We have a large library of texts on office-related topics, as well as gaming or software. That’s it for today; stay safe, and we will see you in the next one!