Question Summary:
Is copyright permissible in Islam?

Question Detail:

 
I am in computing and i want to ask you this.Software piracy,i mean copying a CD is a spread habit in Africa,people can't afford to buy original software since it's too expensive but they need it to run their PC,then they copy it and use it.So i would like to know what islam says about that since sometimes a CD software can cost more than a personal computer itself.
So i can't convince them to buy original copy,but i fear allah when i work like that,somebody told me to change my work and do something else.It's hard for me,so i tried to contact those software manufacturer in vain,i don't know what to do,Please help me.

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Software developers legally preserve their development through the copyright act based on the concept of intellectual property.
According to Hadhrath Mufti Taqi Uthmani Saheb Madda Zillahu intellectual property and copyright is a valid right. It is impermissible to violate such a right. Therefore, software piracy will be impermissible[1].
 
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Immad Ibn Arshad
Student Darul Iftaa
California, USA
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net