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Violation of intellectual property rights dates back to the early 17th century, before copyright law even existed: when anyone outside the stationers' guild published materials (publishing being exclusive to stationers by royal charter), they were labeled as pirates.

In regard to software piracy, only the final, compiled program was protected by copyright until 1980, when a clear definition for "computer software" was added to US copyright law. Prior to that, source code could be shared without violating copyright.

That being said, illegal sharing of software began almost immediately as the Bulletin Board System grew, starting in the late 1970s; users would download software directly from a BBS, or even just use the BBS to connect with others willing to mail floppy disks. Little action was taken in part because money wasn't changing hands, but also because the software companies knew the BBSs were too poor to bother suing.

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14y ago

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