Software piracy alarming with Vietnam, China, RI worst offenders
Software piracy alarming with Vietnam, China, RI worst offenders
Agence France-Presse, Washington
The software industry's watchdog arm said on Monday that piracy of computer programs is on the upswing, with four out of 10 programs in use around the world unauthorized.
The Business Software Alliance said the piracy rate of 40 percent in 2001 was up from 37 percent in 2000.
The industry group said Vietnam remained the worst offender, with 94 percent of all computer programs in use pirated in 2001, down slightly from 97 percent a year earlier. China ranked second with a piracy rate of 92 percent (from 94 percent), followed by Indonesia, with an 88 percent piracy rate (from 89 percent).
"For the second year in a row, we have seen a rise in software piracy around the globe," said Robert Holleyman, president and chief executive of the BSA.
"This is an alarming trend despite our extensive efforts to enact laws and develop educational programs that promote a safe and legal online world."
The 85-country study, conducted by an independent research group, International Planning and Research Corp., concluded that worldwide dollar losses due to piracy dropped nearly $1 billion to US$10.97 billion in 2001.
The decline in dollar losses amid an increase in piracy is attributed to a decline in software prices and the effects of a worldwide economic slowdown.
North America, Asia/Pacific and Western Europe once again accounted for the majority (85 percent) of revenue losses.
The Asia-Pacific region had a wide variety of piracy rates from 27 percent in Australia to 94 percent in Vietnam; but as a region it accounted for the highest volume of losses, some $4.7 billion in 2001, the survey found.
North America continued to be the region with the lowest piracy rate at 26 percent, up from 25 percent in 2000, but with the third highest dollar losses at $1.9 billion.
Western Europe had the second lowest piracy rate (37 percent), but second highest dollar losses, nearly $2.7 billion.
Among individual countries, Ukraine and the other members of the Commonwealth of Independent States was ranked fourth, with a piracy rate of 87 percent, followed by Russia (87 percent), Pakistan (87 percent), Lebanon (79 percent), Qatar (78 percent), Nicaragua (78 percent) and Bolivia (77 percent).