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What is Software Piracy?
Software piracy is the unauthorized copying or distribution of copyrighted software. This can be done by copying, downloading, sharing, selling, or installing multiple copies onto personal or work computers. What a lot of people don't realize or don't think about is that when you purchase software, you are actually purchasing a license to use it, not the actual software. That license is what tells you how many times you can install the software, so it's important to read it. If you make more copies of the software than the license permits, you are pirating.
Piracy Statistics and Trends Snapshot
Piracy Rate by Region
A number of factors contribute to regional differences in piracy — the strength of intellectual property protection, the availability of pirated software, and cultural differences. In addition, piracy is not uniform within a country; it varies from city to city, industry to industry and demographic to demographic. While efforts to cut piracy in large businesses may be successful, piracy can increase as a result of new users from small businesses entering the market for the first time.
Find out more.- Piracy Rate by Region, 2006
- North America 22%
- Western Europe 34%
- Asia Pacific 55%
- Middle East/Africa 60%
- Central/Eastern Europe 68%
- Latin America 66%
- European Union 36%
- Worldwide 35%
BSA Global Anti-Piracy Pages
Thirty-five percent of the world's software is pirated. Software piracy is not only a crime, but it can destroy computers and data.
Global Piracy News
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- United States - September 18, 2007
BSA Conducts Record Global Anti-Piracy Enforcement Action: International Media Company Learns the Cost of Unlicensed Software
Better software management could have prevented the organization facing high legal and... - United States - August 16, 2007
California Companies Pay More Than $700,000 for Use of Unlicensed Software
Business Software Alliance Settles with AccentCare, Inc., Global Microwave Systems,... - United States - July 30, 2007
Software Asset Management Offers an Easy System for Rounding Up Improperly Licensed Software and Generating Cost Savings
SBA and BSA Release Best Practices to Educate Small Businesses - United States - July 2, 2007
BSA Raises the Stakes in Fight Against Software Piracy
Software Group to Reward Individuals Up To $1 Million for Qualified Reports of Copyright... - United States - June 25, 2007
BSA Lifts Net Cast Over Pittsburgh Businesses
Campaign on Copyright Compliance Ends BSA Resumes Investigations of Pittsburgh... - Philippines - June 22, 2007
BSA Files Software Piracy Complaints Against Drug Testing Company
BSA filed Affidavit-Complaints against Drugcheck Philippines, Inc. for the use of pirated and unlicensed software programs in its business.
