GCC bucks piracy trend

PIRACY WAR: According to the Business Software Alliance, global losses to piracy in 2007 totalled nearly $48 billion, an increase of $8 billion over the previous year. (Getty Images)

The Gulf region has continued to make progress in its efforts against piracy, despite the biggest increase in global piracy in four years, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) said Wednesday.

Rapid growth of the IT industry in countries with weak copyright enforcement and expanding internet access have largely contributed to the global trend, the BSA said in its fifth Global Software Piracy Study.

Global losses to piracy in 2007 totalled nearly $48 billion, an increase of $8 billion over the previous year, the study said.

Prior to the 2007 report, global piracy had been relatively stable, standing at 36% in 2003, and remaining at 35% for the next three years.

The GCC had bucked the global trend through initiatives such as smart government policies, effective enforcement, end user customer education and vendor legalisation programmes, the BSA said, with the UAE once again posting the best rating in the region at 35%.

Saudi Arabia follows at 51%, with Qatar at 54%, Bahrain 57%, Oman 61% and Kuwait 62%.

Countries with the worst piracy rates were Armenia (93%), Bangladesh (92%), and Azerbaijan (92%).

“Global piracy has increased largely because of the unprecedented growth of the IT industry in areas where there are no committed efforts to control piracy. The spread of internet has likewise contributed to the current situation as access to pirated software has moved from the streets to the internet,” said Jawad Al-Redha, co-chairman of the BSA.

“I would like to commend our partners in the Gulf region for a successful job in improving their anti-piracy record. Our joint efforts with government authorities in the GCC show that collaboration between public and private entities deliver positive results," he added.

Of 108 countries covered by the study, 67 had improved their ratings, which just eight reporting increases in piracy, although many of these countries had “exceedingly high” ratings, the body said.

The Middle East and Africa region maintained its piracy rating at 60% for the second straight year.

According to the study, 261 million PCs were shipped to consumers in 2007, a 16% growth, with individual customers and small businesses accounting for 66% of the market.

Nearly 700 million PCs were installed with new software, resulting in $80 billion in sales of PC software, an increase of 18%.

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Piracy End
Posted by Dexter, Riyadh, Philippines on Thursday 15 May 2008 at 11:25 UAE time

I believe that piracy could end if the original price drop downs and encryption is enforced in all DVD software.

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