Working late one evening, you see a colleague copying information on to series of CD Roms. He tells you that software is too expensive for him to afford for his home computer but that he needs the software for his own personal use and in case he might take work home at some point. Is this an ethical issue and why?

Working late one evening, you see a colleague copying information on to series of CD Roms. He tells you that software is too expensive for him to afford for his home computer but that he needs the software for his own personal use and in case he might take work home at some point. Is this an ethical issue and why?
A . Yes – unauthorized reproduction would be regarded by the manufacturer as software piracy
B . Maybe – depending on whether he uses the software for personal or business use
C . Maybe – depending on whether his income is really insufficient to cover the cost of software purchase
D . No – one additional copy of the software makes no difference to the manufacturer, so this is not an ethical issue

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Answer: A