Bill Gates' open letter on software piracy

Back in 1976, William Henry Gates III, better known as Bill Gates, wrote an "Open Letter to Hobbyists" in which he lamented the widespread software piracy in the computer enthusiast community. At the heart of his concerns was the unauthorized copying of Altair BASIC, a BASIC language interpreter developed by Microsoft for the Altair 8800 home computer.

The letter reflected the early challenges that software creators faced in protecting their intellectual property. Gates argued that the practice of illegal software copying undermined incentives to develop new, quality software, putting the entire ecosystem at risk.

This historical episode highlights how issues related to intellectual property and its protection have been central since the dawn of the software industry. Fifty years later, the fight against software piracy continues to be a complex and ever-evolving challenge.