Software piracy hurting UK business, claims BSA

Despite the high-tech piracy of music the Business Software Alliance has called upon users and industry leaders not to forget the ongoing issue of software piracy, which is costing UK businesses £860m.

The latest research from the BSA, carried out by IDC, has found that 29 per cent of software in the UK is pirated and while that is lower than the European average (37 per cent) and the global average (36 per cent) it is a figure which concerns the BSA.

A spokesman for the BSA said the resulting lost revenues stifle innovation within the software industry and can have a direct impact on levels of employment within the sector.

Users are also putting their networks at risk using software which potentially has not been subject to the same rigorous testing and legitimate packages, according to the spokesman. Software bought illegally on- or offline could be poor quality or could even contain a virus on infected media such as a CD.

The BSA spokesman said the figures shouldn't be interpreted as a sign that 29 per cent of companies in the UK only use illegal software but more an indication that 29 per cent of software across all organisations is illegal.

"I believe the vast majority of companies in the UK probably have a problem of some magnitude."

As such the BSA encourages all IT managers and their businesses to look at exactly what software is being used on their networks and employ more stringent software asset management.

The highest areas of software piracy globally are in Eastern Europe and parts of the Far East where piracy is "endemic" according to Duncan Browne, a consultant at IDC, and the rate is often in excess of 90 per cent.

And the rates of piracy don't look like getting any better in the near future.

The BSA spokesman said: "These figures give every indication that piracy is not going to diminish any time soon, but there are measures and initiatives in place which we hope will start to bear fruit in two, three, four years' time."

Among its initiatives the BSA is working with software users as diverse as big businesses and schoolchildren to educate people about the issues of software piracy and the damage it does as well as instil "respect for people's intellectual property".

Also helping its battle against piracy is the accession of several Eastern European countries who must now take strides to fall into line with EU copyright laws.