During the “Golden Age of Piracy” swashbuckling, sword-toting, treasure-seeking pirates roamed the oceans and seas and were feared by people. From the 9th through the 11th century, the Vikings terrorized western European coasts and waters. The Hanseatic League, formed in the 13th century, was created partially to provide a mutual defense against northern pirates roaming the North and Baltic seas. Muslim rovers scourged the Mediterranean Sea, commingling naval war on a large scale with thievery and the abduction of slaves. In the 17th century, the English Channel swarmed with Algerian pirates, operating out of northern Africa. The buccaneers were pirates who, during the 16th and 17th centuries, preyed mainly on Spanish commerce with the Spanish American colonies (Microsoft ® Encarta Reference Library 2004, 2003a).

Piracy waned with the development of the steam engine and the growth of the British and American navies in the latter part of the 18th and early 19th centuries (Microsoft ® Encarta Reference Library 2004, 2003a). However, history shows early pirates did not like risking their lives, and while there were outstanding exceptions, early pirates usually only pirated so long as the dangers of capture remained slight (Pringle, 1953, p. 172). In today’s society pirates similar to legendary pirates Edward “Blackbeard” Teach and Sir Francis Drake still exist. Every now and then a news report will surface informing the general public a pirate or group of pirates has robbed or perhaps even killed someone on the oceans or seas. This was the case in 2001, when world famous yachtsman Peter Blake was killed by pirates on the Amazon River(Swift, 2001, p. 4).

A pirate is defined as one who commits or practices piracy, somebody who commits robbery on the high seas, especially regularly, and someone who uses a ship to rob or otherwise attack shipping on the high seas (Pirate, n.d.). Piracy is defined as the crime of robbery, or other act of violence for private ends, on the high seas or in the air above the seas, committed by the captain or crew of a ship or aircraft outside the normal jurisdiction of any nation, and without authority from any government. (Microsoft ® Encarta Reference Library 2004, 2003a).

While pirates of the past are likely not as active as they once were, they fail to compare to the new breed of pirates who now threaten the world with their presence. “Contemporary Pirates” are smarter and some would say even more dangerous than the infamous pirates of past years. Contemporary pirates have the intelligence, resources, and manpower to acquire and steal treasures, goods, services, and many other things of value. The bounties they can collect can be gathered easily, flawlessly, and with near invincibility. One difference between pirates of the past and contemporary pirates is during the “Golden Age of Piracy” pirates were easily recognizable and identifiable to most people, while the pirates in today’s society are virtually invisible. Their near invincibility gives them a superhuman attribute which only increases their mystique. Add this to their generalized and glorified reputations or modern day myth of being near impossible to successfully track down, capture, and bring to justice, and it is easy to see why contemporary pirates pose more difficult challenges than the pirates of the past.

Pirates of today aren’t all simply involved in piracy for monetary gain or personal wealth, as there are a variety of reasons why a person might become a contemporary pirate. Some contemporary pirates might merely engage in piracy for bragging rights or simple curiosity reasons. Some might believe they are serving the public as a modern day Robin Hood type character, who assists others in providing an alternative to big businesses and corporations. Others might claim the business world’s unreasonable costs have driven them to piracy, or claim piracy simply allows one to gain something for little or no cost. While the reasons one might become a contemporary pirate can vary, the act of piracy remains illegal and the danger and risks associated with this choice carries major legal consequences.

While historic pirates committed piracy in the form of gold, silver, or contract services, contemporary pirates yearn for music, computer software, and motion pictures. The majority of these goods are accessible in an endless playground thousands of times larger than all the oceans and seas combined, called the Internet. The contemporary pirate can best be defined as someone who duplicates or uses copyrighted or patented material without authorization, permission, or the legal right to do so (Microsoft ® Encarta Reference Library 2004, 2003a).

There are several media forms which one can choose to pirate, but currently music is among the most widely addressed in the media, with the recording industry and artists calling for retribution and consequences, technological developers and individual users calling for a better fair use policy, and the legal system trapped in the middle of the battles. While pirates come from all different races, ethnicities, backgrounds, and countries, one of the most interesting nesting spots for contemporary pirates is the university environment, particularly in the United States. The university environment is supposed to be reserved as a safe haven for learning, academic excellence, career advancement, and scholastic prestige. Yet, it is one of the major avenues by which piracy currently occurs in this country. "The ready access to file sharing sites and the ease with which files can be downloaded by broadband connections has emboldened American university students to engage in piracy" (Holland, 2003a, p. 8).

Similar to most criminals during ancient times, pirates of the past did not seem to have been greatly influenced by the severity of punishment awaiting them if caught. But, like most criminals, they were easily deterred by the probability of being caught (Pringle, 1953, p. 209). The question here is whether or not the increasing possibilities of being caught, sued, and punished by media organizations and individual copyright holders will serve as a great deterrent to contemporary pirates, and cause a sharp decline or even bring piracy to a screeching halt in the near future.