Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that influence the intention of students to pirate academic e-books by integrating three main theories: ethics theory, deterrence theory, and the theory of planned behavior. The study also examines the moderating role of past piracy behavior on the relationship between the factors in the previously mentioned theories and students’ piracy intention. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected using a convenience sample of 662 university students. Based on their past behaviors, the students were grouped into “no piracy” and “piracy” groups. Findings The result shows that the piracy intention of both the no-piracy and piracy groups has a similar influence based on the moral obligation in ethics theory. The factors in the deterrence theory, which includes fear of legal consequences and perceived likelihood of punishment, have no significant impact on the attitudes of the two groups toward piracy. While the intention of the no-piracy group is not influenced by other internal factors, such as self-efficacy, or by external factors, such as subjective norms and facilitating conditions, the behavioral intention of the piracy group is significantly influenced by these three factors. Research limitations/implications This study only focuses on piracy attitude and behavior in the context of e-books. Practical implications In Indonesia, the insignificant impact of factors from deterrence theory (the fear of legal consequences and perceived punishment) indicates weak law enforcement to combat digital piracy. Thus, it is imperative that law enforcement, especially regarding piracy, should be enhanced. Social implications The significant role of ethics in the attitudes toward piracy indicates that morality serves as a moral compass to fight piracy behavior. The strong impact of subjective norms, especially in the piracy group, suggests that families should raise children and educate youth with beliefs that align with the concepts of morality. Originality/value The study integrates three theories that are most often used in piracy behavior studies: ethics theory, deterrence theory, and theory of planned behavior. In addition, the study provides empirical evidence on the moderating role of past experience in piracy behavior.

Piracy, or the counterfeiting of a product, remains an important global issue. This research aims to examine the factors that influence university students' intention in the piracy of academic books. The research conducted is based on previous attitudes toward piracy behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Piracy is both unethical and illegal, and this study develops the theory of planned behavior (TPB) by adding ethics theory addressing moral obligation and perceived benefits and deterrence theory dealing with fear of legal consequences and perceived likelihood of punishment. The research method used in this research is the purposive random sampling technique; online questionnaires are distributed using Google Forms. A total of 293 college students complete the questionnaires. The results of the study show that affect, moral obligation, and perceived benefits have a significant effect on attitude toward pirating academic books. Attitude, habitual conduct, and moral obligation also have a significant effect on intention to pirate. In contrast, fear of legal consequences and perceived likelihood of punishment have no significant effect on attitude toward piracy of academic books. The results of this study can serve as input for the book publishing industry, copyright holders, and the government in efforts to cooperate with other countries to overcome the academic book piracy that has occurred in Indonesia.