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BSA IDC FUD

truthsearch writes "News.com.com is reporting that a 'study, commissioned by the BSA and conducted by IDC, found that in general, nations with the lowest piracy rates had the largest IT sectors. The study, which examined 57 countries, predicted that a 10-point reduction in the rate of piracy over four years could generate 1.5 million jobs and $64 billion taxes worldwide.' The BSA, er... Microsoft, will use this study to convince governments to crack down on piracy. 'Overall, the countries that have the poorest record of IP rights have slower rates of IT growth,' BSA CEO Robert Holleyman said. Oh, and the countries with the most oppression have had the slowest IT growth, but that can't be the cause, nah."

14 of 341 comments (clear)

  1. "BSA IDC FUD" by YahoKa · · Score: 4, Funny

    You know you are a geek when you understand a headline of all these acronyms... :\

    1. Re:"BSA IDC FUD" by Anonvmous+Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      "BSA IDC FUD"
      You know you are a geek when you understand a headline of all these acronyms... :\


      I get the gist of it. A U.S. security agency is investigating Elmer Fudd for opened a federally insured savings account.

  2. In a related study... by Sanity · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...the BSA pointed out that countries with more relaxed Intellectual Property laws had higher child mortality rates. "The inference is clear", BSA CEO Robert Holleyman said, "Piracy kills babies".

  3. Easy... by jmv · · Score: 3, Funny

    So what's the easiest way to dramatically reduce piracy: use open-source software. So if everybody switches to open-source, it'll be good the the industry. So I suggest the BSA starts advocating OSS more. After all, that's good for the industry :)

  4. If thats the problem..... by curtisk · · Score: 3, Funny
    "When people are using software but they're using a pirated version, they're not paying the government the tax revenues it should be receiving," Holleyman said.

    Damn.....if thats a big issue with how piracy is wrong, I'm free and clear since I don't pay any sales tax anyway in the state I'm in (Delaware)......whew! my conscious is CLEARED!

    Time to buy another spindle of CDRs!

    --

    Sehr geehrter Toilettenbenutzer!

  5. Classic statistical lying technique. by WasterDave · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...putting cause and effect the wrong way round. In other news:

    * People sneezing more likely to catch cold.
    * Companies with fewer security concerns more likely to use Linux.
    * People who buy Ferrari's are more likely to be rich.

    Dave

    --
    I write a blog now, you should be afraid.
  6. Huh? by Gogl · · Score: 3, Funny

    FYI, the BSA, AKA "guys we don't like", are spreading FUD using $$$ and buying out the IDC, an industry analyst that government organizations such as the CIA, the FBI, the NSA, the DOD, the DOJ, TIPS, the WTO, and perhaps even more will all listen to and as such we will be forced to respond by supporting groups such as the ACLU and the EFF in the fight to maintain our civil rights while also hoping that we're not drafted the SSS and also that the SSA holds together so we can all retire someday.

    Or something.

  7. It's About Glue by ackthpt · · Score: 4, Funny

    If piracy is high, their IT sector must be low

    If an IT sector is low it must be a developing country

    If it's a developing country then piracy will be high

    thus...

    If piracy is high, we impose trade sanctions

    If trade sanctions are imposed, a developing country's economy will suffer

    If people can't make enough money to buy software because their economy suffers they will not pirate software because they have learned their lesson.

    "Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue."

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  8. For your own good by burgburgburg · · Score: 3, Funny
    Helping us to force your young, weak IT sector to pay ridiculous licensing fees to us will cause your IT sector to grow tenfold in a year.

    Also, tithing 10% of your monies to our ministry (the Church of BSA) will return your monies tenfold. The Lord Bill has said so. So let it be written, so let it be done.

  9. The BSA study also determined... by raehl · · Score: 4, Funny

    That countries with high piracy rates were much more likely to be populated by people of color.

    "Without immediate action to stop the spread of piracy, American citizen's will soon find their skin turning darker and darker," said BSA Spokeman Bubba Nalk. "We can already see the effects of software piracy on college campuses, as file swapping continues to turn white students into asians and even black students, as evidenced by the increased enrollment of students of color."

    Mr. Nalk had no comment on whether software piracy also caused male college athletes to turn into women.

  10. Free Software Proposal by benja · · Score: 5, Funny
    In the light of these amazing and insightful numbers, I propose that governments all over the world take immediate measures to combat privacy and foster the development and distribution of Free Software. After all, Free Software attacks piracy at its root: Free Software cannot be pirated per definitionem!

    These numbers make it clear that countries investing in Free Software will have a clear competitive advantage when it comes to their IT sectors.

    :-)

  11. Re:Correlation vs. Causality by crackervoodoo · · Score: 3, Funny

    Ok, let me give it a whirl. Ahem... Over the last 15 years the average income of women in the US has increased dramatically, narrowing the salary gap between genders. I've been having sex for approximately 15 years. I predict that if more women have sex with me, there will be equality in wages....Hey you're right! Time to write up a press release and shave...

  12. Re:Not what I'd have predicted. by binaryDigit · · Score: 4, Funny

    Think about it: countries like Sudan and Nigeria... who's gonna be pirating Windows XP when they don't have a computer to run it on?

    Of course they have computers in Nigeria. How else is John Bako sending out his 419 emails to everyone?

  13. Re:Note to BSA: go fuck yourselves by rice_burners_suck · · Score: 4, Funny
    Scans every machine, including the registry, does it? And what do you suppose, Mr. Sherlock, would happen if ALL the machines on the aforementioned network are running Linux and FreeBSD, with FREE software running on those systems as the only software that is used by the business? Then how in the fock will the stupid, focking BSA (BULL SHIT ALLIANCE) scan every machine's registry? I think that is a big crock of garbage. They can go fock themselves, those stupid focking BSA. If anybody from the stupid BSA is reading this and wants to come after me, my home address is:

    Blvd M. Avila Camacho #120,
    Col Lomas De Chapultepec,
    11652 Mexico, D.F.,
    Mexico

    COME AND GET ME!