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BSA's Latest Piracy Claims 'Shockingly Misleading,' Says Geist

Posted by Soulskill on from the shockingly-par-for-the-course dept.

An anonymous reader writes "This week the Business Software Alliance published a new study which purports to estimate the economic gain from a ten percent reduction in piracy of business software. For Canada, the BSA claims that the reduction would create over 6,000 new jobs and generate billions in GDP and tax revenue. But Michael Geist says the BSA claims are based on nothing more than the economic gains from a ten percent increase in proprietary software spending. The BSA now admits its estimate is based on the presumption that every dollar 'saved' by using unlicensed software would now be spent on proprietary software." Glyn Moody pointed out more flaws in the BSA's report.

8 of 277 comments (clear)

  1. The Business Glass Alliance Announces by h4rr4r · · Score: 5, Insightful

    For every 10% increase in broken window glass over 6,000 new jobs would be created and billions in GDP and tax revenue would be generated.

    1. Re:The Business Glass Alliance Announces by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      I ran the numbers and if the members of the BSA gave a Canadian 10 billion dollars:

      - Canada's GDP would go up by billions of dollars
      - Nearly 5 billion dollars would go to taxes
      - The lucky guy or gal could spend 3 billion dollars to hire 6,000 people at an average of $50,000 a year for 10 years to build a monument of themselves.
      - The lucky person would have 2 billion dollars left to spend

      The choice is clear.

    2. Re:The Business Glass Alliance Announces by Xeno+man · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Working hard doesn't mean you have done anything of value. I can work much harder digging a hole in the ground but if no one wants the hole and there is no need for a hole there, I can't get all pissy and demand to be paid for all of my hard work.

    3. Re:The Business Glass Alliance Announces by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Working hard doesn't mean you have done anything of value. I can work much harder digging a hole in the ground but if no one wants the hole and there is no need for a hole there, I can't get all pissy and demand to be paid for all of my hard work.

      Opposite side of the coin is that if someone comes along and starts using your hole, you'd reasonably expect to get paid for it, just like anyone else workin' the street.

    4. Re:The Business Glass Alliance Announces by HungryHobo · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Alternatively, I dig a hole in some waste ground without anyone asking me to.
      I work very hard.
      I bitch and moan about how I worked real hard and demand to be paid.
      Nobody pays me.

      Later someone else comes along and puts water in the disused hole and starts using it for a swimming pool.
      I bitch and moan that I worked very hard and since they're using it it obviously has value.
      Yet still nobody pays me.

      The moral of the story is, just because you work hard, even if what you do has value to someone that does not automatically entitle you to payment.

    5. Re:The Business Glass Alliance Announces by interval1066 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Bad analogy;

      if someone comes along and starts using your hole, you'd reasonably expect to get paid for it...

      Better: I dig a hole. Some one comes along, pays me a fee for my hole, and then snaps their fingers and creates a similar hole. They then do this 1000 more times, creating holes all over the place. Soon everyone has a copy of my hole, I only dug one hole, but I demand a license from everyone who has a hole. I soon decide that anyone who has a hole now owes me money; regardless of whether or not their hole is exactly like mine. I sue anyone with a hole. Some suites I win, but most I lose. And its done nothing to curb copying of my hole. More people than ever have holes, and tell me to get lost with my efforts to collect on new holes. Even though I'm in the right, its still easier for people to just copy my hole that jump through my byzantine licensing schemes. Instead of creating a new way to make holes, or completely different hole-like paradigms (portable holes, holes to other dimensions, holes that contains delicious meals...) I concentrate my efforts on punishing people with old-style holes. I die alone and hole-less. Stretches the scenario but much closer to the real-world.

      --
      Python: 'And then suddenly you have a language which says "we're all stuck with whatever the whiniest coder wants".'
  2. Econ 101 by Lord+Byron+II · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There is a finite amount of money.

    Thus, if $1000 more is spent on software, $1000 less is spent elsewhere. Roughly speaking, 6000 new software jobs equals 6000 fewer other jobs.

    This is approximately a zero sum game.

    There are benefits to reducing piracy, but their argument doesn't hold water.

  3. Eureka! by N0Man74 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I get it! It's so clear now!

    My new plan is to pirate $100,000 worth of software, movies, and games every year. The money I save I will put into a retirement account, and I'll be able to retire in style in no time!

    Now, I don't make $100,000 a year, and my current expenses are only a little less than my current income, but that's neither here nor there. The BSA has shown me that this logic is sound!

    A penny pirated, is a penny saved, is a penny earned, right?