What is the ruling on one who buys a pirated copy of Windows and other software from a seller online, and is he sinful if it is discovered that the seller has made copies of it? And how is lawful money to be returned in the case of watching movies and playing games that are not free of unlawful content? And should the value of unlawful games be paid at their past price or their current price?

It is impermissible to use pirated software and the like, as this constitutes an infringement upon the protected rights of their owners. This is the view adopted by the Fiqh Academies. Some scholars permit copying for personal benefit only, in cases of need and inability to purchase, provided that it is not used for earning money or trade. According to the prohibitory view—which is the prevailing fatwa—whoever uses such software must guarantee the benefits they have deprived the owners of, and this is to be estimated by experts. Those who permit it for personal benefit do not consider this act a sin or necessitating compensation. The absolution from the right is achieved by estimating the compensation by experts at the time the benefit was deprived.