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Software Piracy Will Get Worse

Posted by Zonk on from the arrr-drm'd-music-off-the-port-bow dept.

gollum123 writes "According to a study done by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and research firm IDC, it is likely that software piracy will continue to expand as the Internet grows. Worldwide revenue loss due to software piracy was estimated at $33 billion for 2004 with about 1/3 of the software used being illegal. But within five years, that number could boom to two-thirds, with the value of pirated software nearing US$200 billion. Countries with the highest piracy rates were Vietnam, Ukraine, China, Zimbabwe and Indonesia while United States, New Zealand, Austria, Sweden and the United Kingdom had the lowest."

7 of 484 comments (clear)

  1. Shareware by dnoyeb · · Score: 5, Funny

    And I've got a shareware program thats been downloaded thousands of times but nobody has sent me $20. I have lost 100s of 1000s of dollars to this theft! I need legislation!!

    1. Re:Shareware by Phanatic1a · · Score: 4, Funny

      Meanwhile, this call for legislation has scared off many potential users of your shareware program, so there are now thousands of people not downloading your software. If your asked-for legislation passes, that means you've robbed yourself of hundreds of thousands of dollars in income.

    2. Re:Shareware by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      at least you didn't charge $40 the thefts would have cost you even more.

  2. Insightful research! by c0ldfusi0n · · Score: 5, Funny

    "According to a study done by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and research firm IDC, it is likely that software piracy will continue to expand as the Internet grows."

    In other news, scientists established today that the bigger a container gets the more it can contain. Still no cure for cancer.

    --
    A computer makes it possible to do, in half an hour, tasks which were completely unnecessary to do before.
  3. Actually by TheConfusedOne · · Score: 4, Funny

    The porn industry gets larger and larger and then suddenly contracts, gets bored, and probably nips off for a quick nap.

    --
    --- I wish I could hear the soundtrack to my life. That way I'd know when to duck.
  4. Yet another thing the US is trailing in. by Darkmoor · · Score: 5, Funny

    Damnit people! We have to TRY HARDER! C'mon we can't let countries like China and Vietnam beat us at everything!

  5. Re:Growing Trend? by Bwian_of_Nazareth · · Score: 5, Funny

    What's the bracketing here? ((anti-software) (piracy group)) or ((anti (software piracy)) group)? I prefer to pretend it is the former one.