What term describes the unauthorized copying and selling of software?

The term that describes the unauthorized copying and selling of software is software piracy. This practice involves distributing software without the permission of the copyright holder, which violates intellectual property laws. Software piracy is a significant issue in the technology industry, as it undermines the rights of software creators and can lead to financial losses for companies.

Understanding software piracy is essential for recognizing the importance of intellectual property laws in protecting creative works and ensuring that developers receive revenue from their products. This distinction helps to highlight the difference between lawful practices like shareware, which is software that is distributed for free while encouraging users to pay for additional features or full versions, and public-domain software, which is no longer under copyright and can be freely used and distributed. Software licenses, on the other hand, are legal agreements that specify how software can be used and distributed but do not refer to unauthorized actions like piracy.