28 January 2008
by Simon Quicke
A 10 per cent reduction in software piracy could contribute a hefty £1bn and 13,000 jobs to the UK economy.
The latest costs of software piracy have been estimated by IDC in research commissioned by the Business Software Alliance, in an effort to prove there is a price to pay, even to businesses that feel they are not directly affected by the problem.
The survey also confirmed that piracy rates in the UK in 2006 remained pegged at 27 per cent, a level they have stuck at for the past three years.
Recent research carried out by Microsoft revealed that a portion of resellers did not feel piracy was a problem because it did not affect them directly.
But, Julie Strawson, chair of the BSA UK member committee, said the latest figures showed money was being taken out of the economy as a whole and companies that otherwise might have been in a position to recruit more staff were denied that luxury.
"In the UK we have to do more to get government backing for the software industry. We could generate 13,000 new jobs and £1.3bn to the UK economy. Plus a further £1bn on related services," she said.
"The good news is that they are listening and we have had several meetings," she added "The law needs to be strengthened and there need to be stronger damages."
She added that resellers had to understand that they were "putting jobs on the line" when they chose to turn a blind eye to piracy.
John Lovelock, chief executive at the Federation Against Software Theft, said the fight with the government continued to be fought on several fronts and it had seen progress but there was more to be done.
One of the areas he hoped for more success this year was with the powers that Trading Standards had been given to search and seize goods that were in breach of intellectual property rights, something that had already reaped success last year (MicroScope 12 November 2007).
