South Africans pirate more software
Piracy software on PCs in South Africa rose 1% from 2007 to 2008, translating into total industry losses of around R3.1 billion last year.
While there was an increase in piracy among 15% of the sample countries, a recent study has shown that half of the 110 nations that were included have experienced a decline in software piracy.
These are among the findings of the sixth annual global PC software piracy study released today by the Business Software Alliance (BSA), an international organisation that represents the software industry.
“This report demonstrates that we have more work to do in South Africa to further reduce software piracy,” said Alastair de Wet, South Africa BSA committee chair. “In these uncertain economic times it is vital that companies do not skip corners and use unlicensed software, as this would increase the detrimental impact on those businesses, consumers as well as the local and global economy.”
The software piracy rate in South Africa had been dropping consistently since 2004 when it peaked at 37%. Last year however it increased to 35% from 34%.
An IDC study that was released in January 2008 found that reducing software piracy could generate hundreds of thousands of new jobs as well as billions of dollars in economic growth.
Other key findings of the study include:
- In the Middle East and Africa region the highest reported piracy rate was Zimbabwe at 92%
- Although emerging markets account for 45% of the PC market they account for less than 20% of the PC software market.
- The worldwide PC market grew fastest in high-piracy countries, therefore the worldwide piracy rate increased by three percentage points to 41% in 2008.
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