Software Piracy At A Glance
Economist.com recently posted about the current state of piracy around the world according to the Business Software Alliance, which is a trade body. As you can imagine, it’s really not too good. No information was given about how they got the numbers that they did, but the calculation that was reported was based upon the number of computers in each country, and the dollar amount of pirated software per computer.
In terms of dollar amount and total losses, the United States tops that list at $7.2 billion, and China was next with $5.4 billion. But because this report focused on the amount per computer, The United States didn’t make the list. Topping the list was Azerbaijan with over $250 of pirated software per computer, and following behind was Iceland with over $200 of pirated software per computer. In total, the cost of piracy in Iceland was $32 million, however that’s divided among few computers in comparison to the $7.2 billion divided among all computers in the United States.
The report stated that piracy cost the software industry $39.6 billion dollars, as in lost revenue, however those that choose to pirate probably wouldn’t ever purchase the software in the first place if pirating wasn’t an option. Can it really be considered lost revenue then?
I know one thing, that when it comes to using pirated software on a daily basis, using Linux and free/open source applications puts me on a much ……. I even tend to use them on my Windows installation (though of course I do have some ****** software).
June 8th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
That industry often benefits from piracy and turns a blind eye to it. See:
Governments Must Reject Gates’ $3 Bid to Addict Next Billion PC Users
,—-[ Quote ]
| “Microsoft’s strategy of getting developing nations hooked on its
| software was clearly outlined by Bill Gates almost a decade ago,” said
| Con Zymaris, CEO of long-standing open source firm Cybersource.
|
| Specifically, Bill Gates, citing China as an example, said:
|
| “Although about 3 million computers get sold every year in China, but
| people don’t pay for the software,” he said. “Someday they will, though.
| As long as they are going to steal it, we want them to steal ours.
| They’ll get sort of addicted, and then we’ll somehow figure out how to
| collect sometime in the next decade.”[1]
`—-
http://www.cybersource.com.au/press/gates_set_to_addict_next_billion.html
Microsoft Happy with the Evolution of Windows Vista Piracy
,—-[ Quote ]
| But the truth is that Microsoft is happy with the way Windows Vista
| piracy is evolving. Is there a catch to this? No. The fact of the
| matter is that Windows Vista has delivered a heavy blow to
| software counterfeiters. The reason for this is the new Windows
| Genuine Advantage security mechanism integrated into the
| operating system.
|
| You may not notice this on the surface. On the surface, the
| Internet is crawling with Windows Vista cracks, hacks and
| workarounds. On the surface, every Windows Vista edition has
| been cracked and is available for download via peer-to-peer
| networks. But this is not the true extent of Windows Vista piracy.
`—-
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Microsoft-Happy-with-the-Evolution-of-Windows-Vista-Piracy-50577.shtml