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Software Pirates of America Four out of every 10 of the software programs in possession of consumers are pirated (Hayes). The internet and the ability to copy digital media have created an epidemic that is hard to regulate. Much of the public is not aware of the actual effects of acquiring software illegally. Software piracy is an illegal practice that has caused a major economic problem in the field of software engineering; therefore it requires major attention by law enforcement and various other agencies. Software piracy affects the economy in several different ways. “Software piracy undermines the stability of the burgeoning ecommerce industry and it is a direct threat to innovative companies that help strengthen the U.S. economy," as quoted by Deputy U.S. Treasury Secretary Kenneth Dam. As stated by Bauman, in the year 2000 software piracy constituted a $12.2 billion dollar loss worldwide. As of 2002, the rate of software piracy in the United States was at 23 percent, which resulted in 2 billion dollars of lost revenue. As a result, the industry leaders also had to release over 105,000 employees because of the lost revenues. The corporations lost 5.3 billion in wages along with 1.4 billion in lost tax revenue all within t