Answer given by Ayatollah Mahdi Hadavi Tehrani (may Allah grant him long life):

1. Ownership of intellectual property such as computer software is legal and permissible according to Islam. It is therefore necessary to respect an intellectual property in the same way as we respect a material property.

2. If the owner of an intellectual or material property is non-Muslim and in case he is a protected non-Muslim (Ahl-e Zimma) or a Mu'ahid who has entered a contract with the Islamic country or whose country has signed a contract and the Islamic state, it is mandatory to respect his ownership.

3. Every act that damages the image of Islam and Muslims in the sight of others is forbidden.