A trade group for tech companies wants to remind you that software gets pirated, too. With all the talk about pirates in the Indian Ocean going on, it's hard to remember the other sorts of pirating that takes place around the world. The Business Software Alliance launched a campaign on Monday to focus people's attention on another kind of piracy--the software kind, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The trade group reminded the public that 40 percent of software is pirated. That means a person is using it by copying it illegally or buying it from an unauthorized dealer. While many people assume the victims of pirated software are simply the companies that produce the software, the truth is that consumers suffer as well. Dale Curtis, BSA's vice president of communications, told the WSJ, the buyers get burned because they don't receive technical support and updates for the software and they may use software that is infected with a virus.

For more on pirated software:
- check out this WSJ.com blog

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