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PC USER AT TITU D ES
20102011
Inside a $59 Billion Heist: The Contradictory Opinions and Behaviors of the Worlds Software Pirates
If the worlds computer users lived up to their ideals, there would be far less software piracy. But nearly half of them do not. That is the untold story behind the $59 billion worth of PC software theft that the Business Software Alliance found in the 2010 edition of its annual Global Software Piracy Study.1
More than seven in 10 computer users globally (71 percent) profess support for intellectual property rights and protections, yet nearly half (47 percent) acquire their software by illegal means most or all of the time. In developing economies, the figures are even higher. In China, for example, 86 percent of PC users acquire their software illegally most or all of the time. In Nigeria, it is 81 percent. In Vietnam, it is 76 percent. These behaviors and attitudes toward software piracy follow a similar pattern among the worlds business decision-makers, a critically important group of users. Many of the worlds software pirates may not even realize they are betraying their own principles and breaking the law, which underscores the importance of concerted public-education and enforcement campaigns. Those conclusions are among the major findings of a groundbreaking research effort conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs for BSA.
1 2
The 2010 BSA Global Software Piracy Study, released in May 2011, is available at www.bsa.org/globalstudy. For more on the economic impact of software piracy, see BSAs Piracy Impact Study at www.bsa.org/piracyimpact.
Pirates
13%
13%
Tend legal
Tend illegal
40%
34%
United Kingdom Switzerland United States Australia Italy Argentina Turkey Czech Republic Poland Spain Russia Chile Colombia Brazil Korea Mexico Saudi Arabia Indonesia Thailand Malaysia Ukraine Vietnam Nigeria China
The archetypal software pirate is very likely to believe illegal means of acquiring software are in fact legal. This suggests that more concerted public education and enforcement of IP laws could rapidly change computer users behavior.
Globally, it is more common for business decisionmakers in companies with fewer than 500 employees to fit the profile of a hardcore pirate or one who tends illegal (16 percent and 37 percent, respectively) than it is for decision-makers in larger companies (12 percent and 32 percent, respectively). This is especially true in developed markets. Similar to all computer users, business decisionmaker pirates believe that legal software is better than pirated software because it is more reliable and secure. But, like other computer users, they exhibit a general lack of awareness about which ways of acquiring software are legal and which are not. For example, between two-thirds and three-quarters of them incorrectly believe it is legal to use software that is lent to them by a friend or co-worker, or to buy a single software license and then install the program on multiple computers. And only four out of 10 business decision-makers overall believe people who use unlicensed software are likely to be caught.
ABOUT BSA
The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is the leading advocate for the global software industry before governments and in the international marketplace. It is an association of nearly 100 world-class companies that invest billions of dollars annually to create software solutions that spark the economy and improve modern life.
BSA serves as the worlds premier anti-piracy organization and as a respected leader in shaping public policies that promote technology innovation and drive economic growth. Through government relations, intellectual property enforcement and educational activities in approximately 90 markets around the world, BSA protects intellectual property and fosters innovation; works to open markets and ensure fair competition; and builds trust and confidence in information technology for consumers, businesses and governments alike.
WWW.BSA.ORG
BSA WORldWidE HEAdquARtERS 1150 18th Street, NW Suite 700 Washington, DC 20036 T: +1.202.872.5500 F: +1.202.872.5501
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