I think the first thing we need to examine is the question of legality. For the record, unauthorized copying of software (e.g. in violation of your EULA) is THEFT under US law. Not only can a person be sued civilly, the government can criminally prosecute you for copyright infringement. If convicted, you can be fined up to $250,000, sentenced to jail for up to five years, or both. Further, helping someone break the law is often considered conspiracy whether you knew a law was being broken or not. Even worse, StackExchange/StackOverflow can be held liable as well since they're the intermediary content provider.

The second issue is whether an appropriate answer is advising the action is against the law. Well, let's see what the FAQ's say...

The answer can be “don’t do that”, but it should also include “try this instead”. Any answer that gets the asker going in the right direction is helpful, but do try to mention any limitations, assumptions or simplifications in your answer. Brevity is acceptable, but fuller explanations are better.

In the example you provided it's totally acceptable to advise someone what they're doing may be a violation of law. The "try this instead" would be to acquire a new license for the software product.

I think the first thing we need to examine is the question of legality. For the record, unauthorized copying of software (e.g. in violation of your EULA) is THEFT under US law. Not only can a person be sued civilly, the government can criminally prosecute you for copyright infringement. If convicted, you can be fined up to $250,000, sentenced to jail for up to five years, or both. Further, helping someone break the law is often considered conspiracy whether you knew a law was being broken or not. Even worse, StackExchange/StackOverflow can be held liable as well since they're the intermediary content provider.

Location of the person asking and the person answering are largely irrelevant. The treaties we enter with foreign governments address piracy and make copyright laws enforceable worldwide (exceptions being countries like North Korea or Iran). The basic rule of thumb is if you can read this post, US software piracy laws CAN touch you.

The second issue is whether an appropriate answer is advising the action is against the law. Well, let's see what the FAQ's say...

The answer can be “don’t do that”, but it should also include “try this instead”. Any answer that gets the asker going in the right direction is helpful, but do try to mention any limitations, assumptions or simplifications in your answer. Brevity is acceptable, but fuller explanations are better.

In the example you provided it's totally acceptable to advise someone what they're doing may be a violation of law. The "try this instead" would be to acquire a new license for the software product.

I think the first thing we need to examine is the question of legality. For the record, unauthorized copying of software (e.g. in violation of your EULA) is THEFT under US law. Not only can a person be sued civilly, the government can criminally prosecute you for copyright infringement. If convicted, you can be fined up to $250,000, sentenced to jail for up to five years, or both. Further, helping someone break the law is often considered conspiracy whether you knew a law was being broken or not.

The second issue is whether an appropriate answer is advising the action is against the law. Well, let's see what the FAQ's say...

The answer can be “don’t do that”, but it should also include “try this instead”. Any answer that gets the asker going in the right direction is helpful, but do try to mention any limitations, assumptions or simplifications in your answer. Brevity is acceptable, but fuller explanations are better.

In the example you provided it's totally acceptable to advise someone what they're doing may be a violation of law. The "try this instead" would be to acquire a new license for the software product.

I think the first thing we need to examine is the question of legality. For the record, unauthorized copying of software (e.g. in violation of your EULA) is THEFT under US law. Not only can a person be sued civilly, the government can criminally prosecute you for copyright infringement. If convicted, you can be fined up to $250,000, sentenced to jail for up to five years, or both. Further, helping someone break the law is often considered conspiracy whether you knew a law was being broken or not. Even worse, StackExchange/StackOverflow can be held liable as well since they're the intermediary content provider.

The second issue is whether an appropriate answer is advising the action is against the law. Well, let's see what the FAQ's say...

The answer can be “don’t do that”, but it should also include “try this instead”. Any answer that gets the asker going in the right direction is helpful, but do try to mention any limitations, assumptions or simplifications in your answer. Brevity is acceptable, but fuller explanations are better.

In the example you provided it's totally acceptable to advise someone what they're doing may be a violation of law. The "try this instead" would be to acquire a new license for the software product.