What term describes the unethical copying or use of software without legal rights?

Piracy is the term that specifically refers to the unethical copying or use of software without legal rights. This encompasses not only the unauthorized duplication of software programs but also sharing, distribution, or selling of software without the proper licenses or permissions from the copyright holder. In the software industry, piracy significantly impacts developers and companies by depriving them of revenue and undermining the integrity of intellectual property laws.

Other terms mentioned are less applicable in this context. Plagiarism typically refers to the unethical practice of presenting someone else's work or ideas as one's own, which is more common in writing and academic contexts rather than software. Prototyping refers to the process of creating an early model of a product for testing purposes but does not relate to the illegal use of software. Processing involves manipulating data or performing calculations, which also does not pertain to the unauthorized act of using software. Therefore, piracy is unequivocally the most accurate term to describe the unethical usage of software without legal rights.