Because software is so easily loaded on to more than one computer, copyright infringement runs rampant. According to the Business Software Alliance, infringement costs the software industry more than $12 billion in lost revenues annually.

How do businesses try to beat the system? The two most common ploys are purchasing pirated software or simply installing a program with one seat license onto more than one computer.

In software buying, the license is essentially what you purchase, not the discs. And if you're copying the program onto more computers than you've agreed to, you're breaking the law.

To stay legal, ensure that the number of licenses you're purchasing matches the number of computers that will run the software.

Pirated software is also sold to businesses through retail channels - often unknowingly. There is no simple way to pick out a pirated copy from a legal application, but certain signals may tip you off to the fact that the software was not acquired legally: exceptionally low prices, for example, or too many programs offered on one disk, could be red flags.