Manufacturing companies in Brazil, Russia, India and China that choose to use illegal software steal more than US$ 1.6 billion from their in-market competitors that opt to play fair by using genuine software.
Microsoft has just released the findings of a first-of-its-kind study that tackles the financial impact that the use of illegal software has on the competitive landscape within developing countries. In support of Play Fair Day, a global initiative to emphasise the importance of using legitimate software, this Microsoft-commissioned study quantifies the anticompetitive harm software piracy inflicts on businesses that play fair.
It is estimated that piracy creates more than $2.9 billion of competitive disadvantage per year across manufacturers in Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe and Asia-Pacific regions.
Malta still has to deal with a piracy rate of 43 per cent which is eight per cent above the average rate of the European Union, according to the Business Software Alliance (BSA).
Microsoft, a member of the Business Software Alliance, said it appreciates the activities of BSA in Malta, especially in raising awareness of the risks involved in using unlicensed or pirated software. “Consumers and legitimate businesses are asking us to take action and reduce the risks that non-genuine software exposes them to, and we are 100 per cent committed to helping them,” said Jacqueline Harvey from Microsoft Malta. “Microsoft invests heavily in technologies, education and enforcement programs to make software piracy more difficult, and we will continue to push for effective IP regulations on behalf of consumers and businesses.”
Antoine Camilleri, as the local BSA representative, remarked: “Over the last year the Business Software Alliance has embarked on a number of initiatives in Malta aimed at raising awareness about the risks associated with software piracy, primarily those directed at Maltese businesses. It is also relevant to note that the Alliance’s role on the island is not limited to awareness.
“On the initiative of the Alliance, a number of its members carry out various forms of activities in order to monitor the behaviour of the local IT industry, in particular that concerning the retail sales of computer apparatus and the software products that need to be legitimately sold together with the necessary licences,”Dr Camilleri said.