Survey: Software piracy still hurts businesses

A survey commissioned by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) has revealed that more and more businesses worldwide are losing to software piracy, said a Shanghai Daily report. This despite figures suggesting that the illegal market has remained static in the past three years, the report said.

Piracy rates declined in 62 of the 102 countries surveyed but rising computer sales in some economies where software piracy is rampant counterbalanced such gains. The IDC report noted that last year alone, more than a third of all software installed on PCs were pirated copies.

Vendors could potentially lose about $180 billion to illegally procured software in the next four years, the survey noted.

"The overall dollar losses have gone up because the overall market is growing," BSA chief executive Robert Holleyman explained. China has made headway, saving an estimated $864 million thanks to falling piracy rates, but Holleyman said that drop was offset by a surge in software theft in the Middle East and Africa.

The 19-page report identified the US, New Zealand and Japan as the most law-abiding when it comes to obtaining legal copies of software. It also mentioned the worst places for software theft, among them Armenia, Moldova and Azerbaijan.