Study says software piracy is growing

The percentage of pirated software on PCs worldwide grew in 2008, according to a recent study by the Business Software Alliance.

As reported by Reuters, the study found that 41 per cent of software installed on PCs globally in 2008 was pirated, up from 38 per cent in 2007. The monetary value of this pirated software is estimated at USD 53 billion.

The worldwide piracy increase is due primarily to an increase of PC shipments in high-piracy countries such as China and India, according to the BSA.

The United States was reported to have lowest software PC piracy rate in the world, at 20 per cent. The report does note however that monetary losses from piracy was highest in the US, at an estimated USD 9.1 billion.

"We are continuing to make progress against PC software piracy in many countries, which helps people working in the US-led global software industry. That’s the good news," said BSA president and CEO Robert Holleyman.

"The bad news is that PC software piracy remains so prevalent in the United States and all over the world," he added. "It undermines local IT service firms, gives illegal software users an unfair advantage in business, and spreads security risks.

"We should not and cannot tolerate a USD 9 billion hit on the software industry at a time of economic stress."

Though the PC software market expands well beyond games, PC game piracy remains an issue, with Stardock CEO Brad Wardell recently noting that a majority of users playing its game Demigod are using pirated copies.