What is the ruling on using pirated (counterfeit) software programs, whether personally or commercially, and what is the ruling on studying and working in environments that use such copies? Does the ruling on intellectual property rights apply to imitating other products? What is the adopted jurisprudential principle for distinguishing between lawful and unlawful in matters of intellectual property rights, considering that government entities in some countries use them, and that purchasing original copies may cause significant financial harm to Muslims and increase the profits of Western companies? Can this be considered a matter of widespread affliction (umum al-balwa)?

The authoritative opinion is that intellectual property rights are absolute. Accordingly:

1. It is not permissible to use copied software, whether for personal or commercial purposes.

2. It is not permissible to learn or teach in an institute that uses unlicensed copies, except in cases of necessity.

3. It is not permissible to work in a place that uses unlicensed copies, unless the worker's job is far removed from the use of such software.

4. Property rights apply to brands of devices, clothing, and so on.

5. It is not permissible to repair non-original computers, but it is permissible to repair them for parents due to the disagreement (among scholars) and the obligation to obey parents. If the computers are original and there is a concern about installing non-original software, there is no blame on you if you do not cooperate in that.

6. The meaning of intellectual property rights concerning informatics is not clear.