Is it obligatory to ascertain the licensing of software used in work on a device other than one's own, and is one sinful for using software known to be unlicensed?
Copyrights and patent rights are guaranteed to their owners, and it is not permissible to infringe upon them except with their permission. However, if there is a need for software programs and their original copies are unavailable or prohibitively expensive, and their owners have covered their cost and profit, then there is no objection to copying them for personal, non-commercial use. You are not required to inquire from your employer how they obtained the software, as the sin for that falls solely upon them, according to the Almighty’s saying: (And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another). But if the employer profits from copying and selling these programs, then it is not permissible for you to cooperate with them, according to the Almighty’s saying: (And cooperate not in sin and aggression).
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 17581
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy