Software Piracy Laws and Digital Security in Mexico

Questions and Answers on Software Piracy and Digital Security

1. Laws Regulating Software Piracy in Mexico

Answer:

  • Federal Copyright Law (Articles 231 and 232)
  • Federal Criminal Code (Articles 224 and 224a)
  • Federal Law Against Organized Crime (Articles 2 and 4)
  • Federal Code of Criminal Procedure (Article 194)
  • Industrial Property Act (Section 223)

2. Article 231 of the Federal Copyright Law

Answer:

Trade breaches include:

  • Publicly using a copyrighted work.
  • Using a person’s image without authorization.
  • Producing copyrighted works without permission.
  • Selling protected works without the owner’s authorization.

3. Behaviors Mentioned in Sections IV and V

Answer:

IV: Offering for sale, storing, or circulating protected works without authorization from the copyright holder.

V: Importing, selling, leasing, or making available a device or system designed to disable electronic devices.

4. Article 232 of the Copyright Law

Answer:

Infringements on trade under this law are sanctioned by the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI), referencing Article 231.

5. Article 424 of the Federal Criminal Code

Answer:

Speculating on the internet with free textbooks distributed by the Secretary of Public Education.

Fraudulently reproducing, recording, or altering copyrighted works for profit without authorization.

6. Article 424 Bis

Answer:

Manufacturing devices or systems for profit intended to disable electronic devices and computer program protection.

7. Article 2 of the Federal Law Against Organized Crime

Answer:

When three or more people agree and organize to commit crimes like terrorism, weapons stockpiling, human trafficking, or organ trafficking, they will be punished for that act alone.

8. Article 194 of the Federal Code of Criminal Procedure

Answer:

Article 194 qualifies homicide by negligence, treason, espionage, terrorism, and international terrorism as serious crimes.

9. Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI)

Answer:

IMPI protects and regulates industrial property as an administrative authority and addresses trade-related copyright infringements.

10. Crimes Related to Article 223 of the Industrial Property Law

Answer:

Relapse in behaviors includes counterfeiting protected items, producing, distributing, or storing counterfeit objects, disclosing trade secrets, and unauthorized industrial use of trade secrets.

11. Federal Copyright Law on Trade Infringements

Answer:

Article 231 states that trade infringements apply to both direct and indirect profit purposes.

12. Article 194 of the Federal Code of Criminal Procedure

Answer:

Article 194 classifies felonies as those affecting fundamental societal values.

13. Article 223 of the Industrial Property Law

Answer:

Relapse, counterfeiting, production, stockpiling, transporting, importing, distributing, selling, disclosing trade secrets, and using information from trade secrets are crimes.

14. Business Software Alliance (BSA)

Answer:

  • Promotes safe and legal online practices.
  • Fights software piracy.
  • Members include Dell, IBM, Intel, SAP, Microsoft, among others.

15. Unauthorized Access to Computer Systems

Answer:

Accessing an information processing system inappropriately, without permission, or against the right, breaching security measures designed to protect the data.

16. Article 211 Bis 2

Answer:

Unauthorized changes, destruction, or loss of information in protected computer systems will result in one to four years imprisonment and a fine of two to six hundred days.

17. Common Techniques of Unauthorized Access

Answer:

Cracks: Modify or extend the functionality of hardware or software.

Gurus: Considered teachers and trainers of future hackers.

18. Hackers and Their Actions

Answer:

Individuals passionate about knowledge, discovery, and understanding computer operations.

Actions:

  • Computer sabotage
  • Computer fraud
  • Espionage and data leakage
  • Facilities boost
  • Pathways

19. Remote Access Programs

Answer:

Allow access to a computer for subsequent attacks or data alteration.

20. Backdoors

Answer:

Help users gain access to systems, allowing them to change, manipulate, add, or destroy data.

21. Script Kiddies

Answer:

Learner hackers, cerders, buccaneers.

22. Copyright

Answer:

Set of privileges recognized by law for intellectual works expressed through writing, drawing, music, or any communication method.

23. Articles in the Federal Copyright Law

Answer:

Articles 11, 12, 13, 14.

24. INDAUTOR Guarantees

Answer:

Guarantees legal security for authors and holders of economic rights.

25. Software Licenses

Answer:

Contracts between software producers and users.

26. Types of Software Licensing

Answer:

  • Proprietary software
  • Shareware or evaluation software
  • Demo software
  • Free software
  • Public domain software
  • Semi-free software
  • Freeware software

27. Proprietary Software

Answer:

Produced mainly by companies like Microsoft, Adobe, Corel, and others.

28. Hacker

Answer:

A person passionate about knowledge, discovery, and understanding computer operations.

29. Copyleft and Copyright

Answer:

Copyleft: Ensures free software remains open, requiring changes and extended versions to be released.

Copyright: Legal protection for authors of works.

30. Threats of New Technologies

Answer:

Nuclear energy, information technology, telecommunications, biotechnology, etc., can modify human relationships, space, temporality, and forms.

31. Windows Users and Microsoft Corporation

Answer:

Users are subject to Microsoft’s goodwill; changes not prioritized for the company’s economic benefit may not be implemented.