[OT] Pirate software in Germany?

[Richmond Mathewson]

This is one of those messages which normally starts off

"somebody I know has this problem"; which means of course it really
refers to oneself.

The situation really refers to  a friend of my older son's whose parents 
have given
them a laptop for University (this young person is going to study in 
Germany), and
(as is the norm in Bulgaria) had a friend install PIRATE Windows, 
MSOffice, Uncle
Tom Cobbley and all on the thing.

Morality aside . . .

My son has told this person that they (the parents) are "silly bu**ers" 
sending their
child off to Germany with a laptop packed to the gills with Pirate 
software. I have
offered to scrub the laptop and install a friendly Linux distro with 
Office Libre,
Uncle Richard Stallman and all.

This person; having grown up in Pirate-software land cannot see that 
their might be
risks (legal!!!!) about merrily turning up at a Uni' in German with a 
laptop like "that".

Would be grateful for advice.

sincerely, Richmond Mathewson.