One third off AI software in use is pirated.Thirty-five percent of the software installed on personal computers worldwide was pirated pi·rate n. 1. a. One who robs at sea or plunders the land from the sea without commission from a sovereign nation. b. A ship used for this purpose. 2. One who preys on others; a plunderer. 3. in 2004, a one percentage point decrease from 36 percent in 2003. Yet, losses due to piracy increased from $29 billion to $33 billion. These are among key findings of a global software piracy The illegal copying of software for distribution within the organization, or to friends, clubs and other groups, or for duplication and resale. The software industry loses billions of dollars each year to piracy, and although it may seem innocent enough to install an application on a study by the Business Software Alliance (BSA 1. BSA - Business Software Alliance. 2. BSA - Bidouilleurs Sans Argent. ), the international association of the world's leading software developers. The independent study, which indicates that software piracy continues to be a major challenge worldwide, was conducted by global technology research leader IDC. Among the key findings: * Although piracy rates decreased in 37 countries, they increased in 34 countries. They remained consistent in 16 countries. * In more than half the 87 countries studied, the piracy rate exceeded 60 percent. In 24 countries, the piracy rate exceeded 75 percent. * The countries with the highest piracy rates were Vietnam (92 percent), Ukraine (91 percent), China (90 percent), Zimbabwe (90 percent) and Indonesia (87 percent). * The emerging markets in Asia Pacific, Latin America Latin America, the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. , Eastern Europe Eastern Europe The countries of eastern Europe, especially those that were allied with the USSR in the Warsaw Pact, which was established in 1955 and dissolved in 1991. and the Middle East and Africa account for over one-third of PC shipments today, but only a tenth of spending on PC software. A primary factor in determining losses due to piracy in a specific country is the size of that country's software market. For instance, at 21 percent, while the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. had the lowest piracy rate of all countries studied, it also had the greatest losses--$6.6 billion. That amount is almost double the amount lost in the country with the second highest losses, China, at $3.5 billion. In very large software markets, comparatively low piracy rates still amount to huge losses. www.idc.com |
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