Digital Theft and Copyright Laws in Karachi Pakistan: A Case in Point
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59261/jlsp.v4i3.231Keywords:
digital theft, copyright laws, digital piracy, plagiarism, digital content, legal awarenessAbstract
Background: The rapid expansion of digital technologies has intensified digital piracy and copyright infringement in Pakistan, where weak enforcement and limited public awareness continue to challenge copyright protection. Previous studies have largely focused on copyright legislation and institutional enforcement, while empirical evidence regarding users’ legal, ethical, and social perceptions of digital piracy remains limited.
Objective: This study aims to examine the relationship between users’ legal, ethical, and social perceptions and their attitudes toward digital piracy, unauthorized use of digital materials, and plagiarism among digital technology users in Karachi.
Methods: A quantitative descriptive-analytical design was employed involving 59 respondents selected from a population of 70 through non-probability convenience sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale and analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis.
Results: The first regression model showed that perceiving unauthorized software or data transfer as a legal violation significantly predicted attitudes toward purchasing pirated music (? = 0.321, p = 0.025; R² = 0.263). The second model demonstrated that perceiving pirated music purchases for others as ethically and legally problematic significantly predicted social disapproval of plagiarism (? = 0.276, p = 0.035; R² = 0.323).
Conclusion: The findings support Social Learning Theory and indicate that legal, ethical, and social perceptions influence attitudes toward digital piracy and plagiarism. Therefore, copyright enforcement should be complemented by digital ethics education and public awareness initiatives to strengthen responsible digital behavior.
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