Please wait while the page is being loaded Skip this advertisement >
Friday | 5 December, 2008
CIO
Study shows software piracy declining in many countries
Among those showing improvement is the US
Thomas Wailgum 16 May, 2008 10:04:25

The results from the Business Software Alliance's fifth-annual study on global software piracy revealed some statistics that would put a smile on any software company executive's face: Of the 108 countries that are covered in the recently released report, the use of pirated software dropped in 67 countries. In just eight countries did the piracy rate increase.

For example, Russia's PC software piracy rate dropped seven points to 73 per cent. (In the study, piracy rate is defined as the total number of units of pirated software deployed in 2007 divided by the total units of software installed.) "Russia's piracy rate is still high, but it is decreasing at a fast pace as a result of [software] legalization programs, government engagement and enforcement, user education and an improved economy," states the BSA study's findings. (A copy of the ].)

Many low-piracy regions, such as the United States, United Kingdom and Austria, showed decreases (though they weren't huge) in their piracy rates. The three lowest-piracy countries were the United States (20 per cent), Luxembourg (21 per cent) and New Zealand (22 per cent). The study also found that many developed economies continued to show gradual declines, including Australia, Belgium, Ireland, Japan, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden and Taiwan.

PC Software Piracy Rankings, 2007

The Business Software Alliance ranks the countries where software piracy is the worst for PC software vendors, and those where conditions are best.

The worst:

  • 1. Armenia
  • 2. Bangladesh
  • 3. Azerbaijan
  • 4. Moldova
  • 5. Zimbabwe
  • 6. Sri Lanka
  • 7. Yemen
  • 8. Libya
  • 9. Venezuela
  • 10. Vietnam

The best:

  • 1. US
  • 2. Luxembourg
  • 3. New Zealand
  • 4. Japan
  • 5. Austria
  • 6. Belgium
  • 7. Denmark
  • 8. Finland
  • 9. Sweden
  • 10. Switzerland

Market research company IDC conducted the study on behalf of the BSA, an international association that represents software vendors and their hardware partners, and pursues companies that use pirated software. The BSA's "Report Software Piracy Now" campaign, which promises up to US$1 million reward for "qualifying reports," is one way in which it goes after corporate offenders.

Featured Whitepaper Sponsors
Market Place
 

Smart SOA World Tour

Discover how SOA can create smarter outcomes for your business.

Attend and learn:

  • How SOA is helping leading companies to become more agile
  • Where you should be applying SOA processes in your company
  • The top SOA implementation mistakes to avoid

Click here for more information.
  • +

    CIO Live Podcast #79: Brent D Taylor, author of The Outsider's Edge: The Making of Self-Made Billionaires Part II 05 October, 2007 06:00:00

    For his new book, The Outsider's Edge: The Making of Self-Made Billionaires, social researcher Brent D Taylor spent four years of intensive research investigating the psychological make-up and backgrounds of some of the world's richest men and women, including IT luminaries Bill Gates, Larry Ellison and Steve Jobs. Taylor discovered that, despite working in different industries and coming from different upbringings, they all have one thing in common -- they are all outsiders.
  • +

    CIO Live Podcast #78: Brent D Taylor, author of The Outsider's Edge: The Making of Self-Made Billionaires 28 September, 2007 17:34:25

    For his new book, The Outsider's Edge: The Making of Self-Made Billionaires, social researcher Brent D Taylor spent four years of intensive research investigating the psychological make-up and backgrounds of some of the world's richest men and women, including IT luminaries Bill Gates, Larry Ellison and Steve Jobs. Taylor discovered that, despite working in different industries and coming from different upbringings, they all have one thing in common -- they are all outsiders.
  • +

    CIO Live Podcast #77: Panasonic Speeds Up Trans-Pacific File Transfers, Part III 21 September, 2007 07:00:00

    Part three in our three-part special report from CIO's sister publication Network World in the US, as Paul Desmond reports from the Network World IT Roadmap Conference in Santa Clara, California. With development teams in the US and Japan, Panasonic needed a more efficient way to move very large files between the two locations. Iben Rodriguez, IT consultant for Panasonic Research and Development, explains how a storage-area network and virtual server technology helped speed up WAN performance.
  • +

    CIO Live Podcast #76: Panasonic Speeds Up Trans-Pacific File Transfers, Part II 14 September, 2007 07:00:00

    Part two in our three-part special report from CIO's sister publication Network World in the US, as Paul Desmond reports from the Network World IT Roadmap Conference in Santa Clara, California. With development teams in the US and Japan, Panasonic needed a more efficient way to move very large files between the two locations. Iben Rodriguez, IT consultant for Panasonic Research and Development, explains how a storage-area network and virtual server technology helped speed up WAN performance.
  • +

    CIO Live Podcast #75: Panasonic Speeds Up Trans-Pacific File Transfers, Part I 07 September, 2007 07:00:05

    Part one in our three-part special report from CIO's sister publication Network World in the US, as Paul Desmond reports from the Network World IT Roadmap Conference in Santa Clara, California. With development teams in the US and Japan, Panasonic needed a more efficient way to move very large files between the two locations. Iben Rodriguez, IT consultant for Panasonic Research and Development, explains how a storage-area network and virtual server technology helped speed up WAN performance.
  • +

    SOA What? Why You Need SOA Governance Framework 04 December, 2008 08:32:00

    Adopting services oriented architecture (SOA) in your enterprise without thinking through IT governance can cause something like the Gold Rush in the 1800s; extreme rates of growth and minimal law and order which produce unexpected outcomes.
  • +

    The Myth of Cloud Computing 04 December, 2008 08:25:00

    Why the rapid spread of virtual technology is becoming a security risk
    Why the rapid spread of virtual technology is becoming a security risk.
  • +

    Who Pushed Vendors Toward Better Security? 04 December, 2008 09:38:00

    Hint: It had something to do with pressure from customers and government agencies, writes Oracle CSO Mary Ann Davidson
    Hint: It had something to do with pressure from customers and government agencies, writes Oracle CSO Mary Ann Davidson.
  • +

    CPO & CISO: A Comprehensive Approach to Information 04 December, 2008 08:42:00

    GE CPO Nuala O'Connor Kelly advocates greater CPO/CISO cooperation to place the right value on information assets.
    GE CPO Nuala O'Connor Kelly advocates greater CPO/CISO cooperation to place the right value on information assets.
  • +

    Virtually every Windows PC at risk, says Secunia 04 December, 2008 08:00:00

    Almost all PCs scanned by patch tool have an unpatched app; 46% have 11-plus.
    More than 98% of Windows computers harbor at least one unpatched application, and nearly half contain 11 or more programs at risk from attack, a Danish security company said Wednesday.
CIO Webcast Innovation #8 - What are the biggest roadblocks to IT's involvement in innovation at your company?
Watch the latest latest edition of CIO Innovation which is now available for download.
Watch the webcast
Sign up to the CIO Innovation update email


CIO Live Podcast #79: Brent D Taylor, author of The Outsider's Edge: The Making of Self-Made Billionaires Part II
Listen to the latest edition of CIO Live which is now available for download.
Listen to the podcast
Sign up to the CIO Live email
Whitepaper

Radicati Market Quadrant 2008 on Corporate Web Security

An Analysis of the Market for Corporate Web Security Solutions, revealing Top Players, Mature Players, Specialists and Trail Blazers. Read on to discover who makes the grade.