RI world's second worst software pirate: Survey

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia is one of the world's greatest software pirates with a 98 percent strike rate, stealing US$150 million last year from software producers worldwide, according to a survey.

International Planning and Research surveyed 82 countries in 1995. The survey was commissioned by two American software producers associations: the Business Software Alliance and Software Publishers Association.

The results of the survey were revealed here yesterday by Business Software Alliance vice president David Sigler.

The survey found that 98 percent of software used in Indonesia was pirated, costing software producers $150.92 million in 1995.

Indonesia was second to Vietnam which had a 98 percent piracy rate. China and Oman were third with a 96 percent piracy rate.

Sigler said the results tarnished Indonesia's image, and could have wider implications for the country's trade status.

"Software piracy, illegal copying and the use of unlicensed software does not only violate the Indonesian law but also could have wider implications for Indonesia's trade status with her foreign trading partners in the future," Sigler said.

The Business Software Alliance comprises eight major software publishers: Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Bentley System, CNC Software, Lotus Development, Microsoft, Novell, Symentec Corporation and Santa Cruz Operation.

A.M. Suseto, the Indonesian Computer Software Association's chairman, said the high piracy rate was the reason the country's software industry had not developed.

"Indonesia's startup software producers quickly find that they are unable to meet the cost of ongoing development because their projected revenues are being eroded by software piracy," he said.

To promote original software, Sigler presented Original Software Used Here certificates to three domestic companies: PT Gunung Sewu Kencana, Santa Fe Energy Resources Ltd. and PT Tugu Pratama Indonesia.

He called on other local companies to use original software.

He said the Business Software Alliance had opened a branch office here to combat piracy and would open an Indonesian language homepage on Internet early next year where people could find out about original software. The homepage would be located on local Internet provider Radnet's server.

Losses from worldwide software piracy reached $13.1 billion in 1995, up 9 percent on 1994's $12.2 billion.

Eastern Europe had the highest overall rate of piracy with an average 83 percent. The lowest overall piracy rate was in the U.S. and Canada which had a 27 percent average.

Losses from piracy in the Asia-Pacific were estimated at $3.9 billion, with Japan reporting losses of more than $1.6 billion. (jsk)