Are There Pirates in the Modern Age?
Piracy still exists today. Pirates attack several hundred ships worldwide each year. Piracy can also include the theft of intellectual property like computer software, or even skyjacking, which is a form of air piracy where a plane is hijacked.
Pirates today are similar to the pirates three hundred go because they want to steal loot from cargo ships t the ships themselves. Most modern day pirates are organized gangs that reside along the coastlines of areas where large cargo ships are known to travel, such as Southeast Asia.
Most modern trade ships have small crews and do not carry large cannons and guns to defend themselves. These merchant ships typically travel on safe seas and have the advantage of radar and communications to help them if any trouble arises. However, the crews of these ships are small and are not in the business of defending ups and fighting off pirates.
Modern day pirates use the elements of speed and surprise. If they are spotted by the crews of cargo ships, a general alarm is usually sounded and the pirates quickly flee the scene, waiting for another opportunity to plunder.
In most cases, modern day pirates seek to loot a ship's crew of their money and possessions, forcing the officers of the ships they attack to open safes and hand over valuables from the ships' stores. Some modern pirates take the crew as hostages and demand ransom for their release.
Pirates are able to attack quickly and get away, usually before help can arrive. Cargo ships are usually safest where governments have taken steps to patrol the shipping lanes of some of the world's oceans.
Software piracy is another form of piracy that is a growing problem today. This form of piracy can include the illegal copying, distribution, and sale of computer programs. According to Microsoft's software piracy website, nearly $12 billion was lost in the year 2000 due to pirated software.
People around the world take computer programs, copy them, and sell them to other people. The computer program may look like a normal one, but it is a counterfeit, which means it is not the original program produced and sold by the computer software company.
The problem for software companies is they don't make any profit from counterfeit software. The problem for the consumer is that there is no guarantee the software will work properly, as there is no warranty for it.
It is difficult to monitor people who copy software because it is a worldwide problem. The pirated software is sometimes sent to others over the Internet, making it hard to track down the people responsible for distributing the illegal software.
A worldwide effort is underway to stop software piracy, but many countries have different copyright laws. In the United States, the penalties for copying and pirating software are stiff.
Pirates today are similar to the pirates three hundred go because they want to steal loot from cargo ships t the ships themselves. Most modern day pirates are organized gangs that reside along the coastlines of areas where large cargo ships are known to travel, such as Southeast Asia.
Most modern trade ships have small crews and do not carry large cannons and guns to defend themselves. These merchant ships typically travel on safe seas and have the advantage of radar and communications to help them if any trouble arises. However, the crews of these ships are small and are not in the business of defending ups and fighting off pirates.
Modern day pirates use the elements of speed and surprise. If they are spotted by the crews of cargo ships, a general alarm is usually sounded and the pirates quickly flee the scene, waiting for another opportunity to plunder.
In most cases, modern day pirates seek to loot a ship's crew of their money and possessions, forcing the officers of the ships they attack to open safes and hand over valuables from the ships' stores. Some modern pirates take the crew as hostages and demand ransom for their release.
Pirates are able to attack quickly and get away, usually before help can arrive. Cargo ships are usually safest where governments have taken steps to patrol the shipping lanes of some of the world's oceans.
Software piracy is another form of piracy that is a growing problem today. This form of piracy can include the illegal copying, distribution, and sale of computer programs. According to Microsoft's software piracy website, nearly $12 billion was lost in the year 2000 due to pirated software.
People around the world take computer programs, copy them, and sell them to other people. The computer program may look like a normal one, but it is a counterfeit, which means it is not the original program produced and sold by the computer software company.
The problem for software companies is they don't make any profit from counterfeit software. The problem for the consumer is that there is no guarantee the software will work properly, as there is no warranty for it.
It is difficult to monitor people who copy software because it is a worldwide problem. The pirated software is sometimes sent to others over the Internet, making it hard to track down the people responsible for distributing the illegal software.
A worldwide effort is underway to stop software piracy, but many countries have different copyright laws. In the United States, the penalties for copying and pirating software are stiff.
Did You Know?
Using high-speed powerboats, modern pirates quickly sneak up to large cargo ships, much as pirates did long ago with sleek sloops that sailed faster then slow-moving galleons.