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Intellectual Property Rights
Anonymous1 views3 answers
There are sites on the internet that act as a sort of "Serial Number Search Engine" for computer software. Would it be legal to sell that website on eBay? For instance, could I post an item that says that I will email them the site URL where they can obtain serial numbers for any software program?
No. Assisting in software piracy is not legal. Doing so will subject you to civil and criminal penalties.
I suggest that you could write your own software and sell it on eBay.
No, inasmuch as you would be personally profiting from piracy. It seems like a small offense but is a felony (1+ years in jail). Furthermore, writing your own software and selling it would subject you to the same criminal penalties. Just stay away from piracy - it'll get you in lots of trouble.
**This post does not constitute legal advice, nor does it create any attorney-client relationship between Sadiq Ansari and any other individual or entity.**
When intellectual property rights are at issue, there are two forms of infringement that may bring upon civil and/or possibly criminal penalties: (1) Direct infringement and (2) Contributory infringement. Selling serial numbers for computer software by providing a link to another site that contains the serial number is clearly contributory infringement and quite possibly direct infringement. Without going more into these types of infringement, you would more than likely be engaging in illegal activities.
