Editing Warez (section)

===Rise of software infringement===
{{unreferenced section | date=March 2009}}
Unauthorized copying has been an ongoing phenomenon that started when high quality, commercially produced software was released for sale. Whether the medium was cassette tape or floppy disk, cracking enthusiasts found a way to duplicate the software and spread it without the permission of the maker. Bootlegging communities were built around the [[Apple II]], [[Commodore 64]], [[Atari 8-bit computers]], [[ZX Spectrum]],  [[Amiga]],  [[Atari ST]] and other systems. Entire networks of [[Bulletin board system|BBS]]es sprang up to traffic illegal software from one user to the next. Machines like the [[Amiga]] and the [[Commodore 64]] had an international network, through which software not available on one continent would eventually make its way to every region via [[bulletin board system]]s.<ref>{{cite web |date=April 1997 |title=Warez Wars |url=https://www.wired.com/1997/04/ff-warez/ |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=Wired}}</ref>

It was also common in the 1980s to use physical floppy disks and the [[mail|postal service]] for spreading software, in an activity known as ''mail trading''. Prior to the sale of software that came on CD-ROM discs and after hard drives had become available, the software did not require the floppy disc to be in the drive when starting and using the program. So, a user could install it onto their computer and mail the disk to the next person, who could do the same. Particularly widespread in continental Europe, mail trading was even used by many of the leading [[Software cracking|cracker]] groups as their primary channel of interaction. Software copyright violation via mail trading was also the most common means for many computer hobbyists in the [[Eastern bloc]] countries to receive new Western software for their computers.

[[File:Pftp-99.png|thumb|250px|right|A screen shot of {{Mono|pftp}} logged into several FTP sites. This tool was used by couriers to quickly and easily move large amounts of software from one site to many others. Since couriering was competitive, using this tool was considered cheating.]]
Copy-protection schemes for the early systems were designed to defeat casual duplication attempts, as "crackers" would typically release a copied game to the "pirate" community the day they were earmarked for market.

A famous event in the history of software copyright policy was an [[Open Letter to Hobbyists|open letter]] written by [[Bill Gates]] of [[Microsoft]], dated February 3, 1976, in which he argued that the quality of available software would increase if "software piracy" were less prevalent. However, until the early 1990s, software copyright infringement was not yet considered a serious problem by most people. In 1992, the [[Software Publishers Association]] began to battle against this phenomenon, with its promotional video "[[Don't Copy That Floppy]]". It and the [[Business Software Alliance]] have remained the most active anti-infringement organizations worldwide, although to compensate for extensive growth in recent years, they have gained the assistance of the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA), the [[Motion Picture Association of America]] (MPAA), as well as [[American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers]] (ASCAP) and [[Broadcast Music Incorporated]] (BMI).

Today most warez files are distributed to the public via [[BitTorrent (protocol)|bittorrent]] and [[One-click hosting|One-click hosting sites]]. Some of the most popular software companies that are being targeted are Adobe, Microsoft, Nero, Apple, DreamWorks, and Autodesk, to name a few. To reduce the spread of illegal copying, some companies have hired people to release "fake" torrents (known as [[Torrent poisoning]]), which look real and are meant to be downloaded, but while downloading the individual does not realize that the company that owns the software has received their [[IP address]]. They will then contact their [[Internet service provider|ISP]], and further legal action may be taken by the company/ISP.{{clarify|date=August 2016}}
<!--ummm, if the torrent is fake, then no copyright infringement has taken place, and therefore there are no grounds to sue. Also, if a representative of the company is distributing these goods, then copying it may be authorized, as a company or person cannot violate its own copyright.-->