While the Internet vastly increases opportunities to sell products and services, it also creates new opportunities to steal software. Indeed, software theft and distribution threaten to undermine the tremendous innovation, jobs and revenue that the Internet promises.

Until recently, unauthorized copying of software required physical exchange of floppy disks, CDs or other hard media. But, as the Internet continually gets easier, faster and less expensive, software piracy does the same.

The Internet allows products to move from computer to computer, with no hard media transaction and little risk of detection. Some piracy schemes may even involve computers without the owner's knowledge. Piracy that once required an understanding of complex computer codes can now be done with the click of a mouse. And nearly 100 million Americans now have Internet access, according to recent estimates, supplying software pirates with a growing market.

The high tech industry is driving the information revolution, which is the cornerstone of the new economy. BSA member companies are the leading producers of innovative software, hardware and technologies, and have been key players in providing critical infrastructure for the Internet and electronic commerce. We are pro-technology and embrace the promise of new technologies, like peer-to-peer networking. At the heart of these technologies is intellectual property. While the Internet has made it easier for all of us to share information, it does not mean we should abandon our laws. Advances in new technology are dependent upon strong intellectual property protection