43 percent of computer users in India admit that they have acquired
pirated software, Business Software Alliance (BSA) reported today
in its 2011 BSA Global Software Piracy Study. The research is a
product of studies conducted by IDC and IPSOS Public Affairs, two
of the world’s leading independent research firms. The IPSOS
study included a survey of 15,000 computer users in 33 countries
that together constitute 82 percent of the global PC market.
Some users said that they pirate all or most of the time. Others
said that they do it occasionally or rarely. The net effect was to
fuel a software piracy rate of 63 percent last year in India, down
by 1 point from 2010 findings, meaning more than 6 out of 10
programs that users installed were unlicensed. The commercial value
of this piracy rose to a record USD 2.93 billion (approximately
INR13,783 crores).
“If 43 percent of consumers admitted they willfully violate
traffic signals regularly, authorities would react by increasing
traffic police checks and fines. Software piracy demands a similar
response, marked by concerted Government and Industry led public
education around the benefits of legal software, and strong and
regular law enforcement actions. Consumers must be made aware that
pirated software also poses serious IT/Cyber security risks.
Additionally, a lack of information in companies on how to put in
place adequate policy and process controls around IT assets
procurement, deployment and usage is a strong contributor to the
slow decline in software piracy rates. Government must look at
creating a “National IP Enforcement Task Force”, under
the umbrella of the “National IP Policy”, which the
Indian Government is currently working on”, said Keshav
Dhakad, BSA’s Chair - India Committee.
20 percent of admitted software pirates in India surveyed in the
study say they acquire software illegally “all of the
time,” “most of the time” or
“occasionally,” while 23 percent say they do so only
“rarely.” The study also found that admitted software
pirates in India are predominantly male, between the ages of 25 to
34.
A national outreach program on the importance of intellectual
property rights (IPR) in software was also launched in association
with FICCI & DIETY, GOI, in 2011, targeted at the SMEs. BSA is
committed to this endeavor and welcomes Industry and Government
partners to continue to increase its focus on this momentum.
“Software piracy persists as a drain on the global economy,
IT innovation and job creation,” said BSA president and CEO
Robert Holleyman. “Governments must take steps to modernize
their IP laws and expand enforcement efforts to ensure that those
who pirate software face real consequences.”
Globally, the study finds that piracy rates in emerging markets
tower over those in mature markets — 68 percent to 24
percent, on average — and emerging markets account for an
overwhelming majority of the global increase in the commercial
value of software theft. This helps explain the market dynamics
behind the global software piracy rate, which hovered at 42 percent
in 2011 while a steadily expanding marketplace in the developing
world drove the commercial value of software theft to USD 63.4
billion.
Other findings from this year’s BSA Global Software Piracy
Study include:
- Globally, the most frequent software pirates are
disproportionately young and male — and they are more than
twice as likely to live in an emerging economy as they are to live
in a mature one (38 to 15 percent)
- Business decision makers admit to pirating software more
frequently than other users — and they are more than twice as
likely as others to say they buy software for one computer and then
install it on additional machines in their offices
- Globally, there is strong support for IP rights and protections
in principle, but a troubling lack of incentive for pirates to
change their behavior in practice. Just 20 percent of frequent
pirates in mature markets — and 15 percent in emerging
markets — say the risk of getting caught is a reason not to
pirate software
“Under-licensing of software within businesses continues to
be a key contributor of software piracy. Beyond the damage done to
the IT sector and supporting ecosystem, such activity harms local
and regional market competition. It is crucial that governments
across the region take strong measures — not just through
education but also through enforcement — to protect the
interest of honest businesses and ensure fair competition,”
said Victor Lim, Vice President, Asia/Pacific Consulting
Operations, IDC.
This is the ninth annual study of global software piracy conducted
by BSA in partnership with IDC and Ipsos Public Affairs, two of the
world’s leading independent research firms. The study
methodology involves collecting 182 discrete data inputs and
assessing PC and software trends in 116 markets. This year’s
study also included a survey of 15,000 computer users in 33
countries that together constitute 82 percent of the global PC
market.