Study: Software piracy on the rise, but so are sales

by David Hinkle { May 12th 2009 at 4:30PM }

The Business Software Alliance recently conducted a study into piracy, and found that it may be a bigger problem than any of us could have thought, Reuters reports. The study showed that PC piracy accounted for 41 percent of total PC software installed in 2008, a 3 percent rise from 2007 figures. However, as piracy expands, so do sales, as PC software raked in $88 billion in 2008, a whopping 14 percent increase.

Even though the US only has a 20 percent piracy rate (which is the lowest in the world), Robert Holleyman, president and CEO of the BSA, says that figure is a lot worse considering we buy more software than any other country. But, as bad as the figures are, some countries are actually seeing a decline in illegal software.

Throughout two of the biggest regions for piracy (Russia and China), figures show a decline over previous years. In Russia, piracy dropped 5 points down to 68 percent in 2008, whereas in China the decline has been more gradual, dropping from figures of 90 percent in 2004 to 80 percent in 2008. Other countries remain at a 90 percent or higher piracy rate, however, including Georgia, Bangladesh, Armenia, Zimbabwe, Sri Landa, Azerbaijan and Moldova.

So, remember kids: Don't copy that floppy!

Tags: bussiness-software-alliance, china, dont-copy-that-floppy, pc, piracy, russia, uk, united-states, us

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

ThornedVenom (of the Fidlious Clan of Wong) @ May 12th 2009 4:37PM

Arr, but what about Somali piracy?

The Baron @ May 12th 2009 4:38PM

I think the main reason is that in Russia, PC developers are aggressively competing with the pirates.

Whilst western/japanese-developed games and consoles are sold there at exorbitant prices, the small PC game studios native to Russia release their games in cheap plastic sleeves for a couple of dollars - and in a country without widespread broadband, this makes them just as viable if not more so than pirating the game.

The Baron @ May 12th 2009 4:38PM

*main reason for low piracy in the eastern bloc

Cesaria @ May 12th 2009 4:39PM

It is my firm belief that if they are so worried about piracy, they shouldn't have picked such an awesome moniker. Who doesn't want to be a pirate?

Cosmo @ May 12th 2009 4:43PM

Someone who actually wants more games to come to the PC, exclusives and console ports. : )

Cesaria @ May 12th 2009 4:47PM

You must be one of those ninja folk.

David Hinkle @ May 12th 2009 5:10PM

People who enjoy showers?

/2 cents

WRE Returns @ May 12th 2009 5:13PM

Pirates bathe in the sea, Hinkle! The sea!

THE Ezio Auditore de Firenze (PSN slycooper_rocker) @ May 12th 2009 5:20PM

WRE? what did you get banned for?

Cesaria @ May 12th 2009 5:21PM

I should have you know that pirates prefer baths. It can be quite taxing to pillage, thus a relaxing hot bath is in order.

WRE Returns @ May 12th 2009 6:21PM

I have no idea!

joeybeast @ May 12th 2009 4:40PM

I bet the decrease in China's figure is directly proportional to the increase in WOW accounts.

DBuck_Eye @ May 12th 2009 4:53PM

That's called indirectly proportional.

wesley johnson @ May 12th 2009 4:41PM

We need an updated anti-piracy anthem since floppy discs have went the way of the buffalo. Don't duplicate that digital video disc? Hmm. I'll keep working.

Cosmo @ May 12th 2009 4:42PM

Don't torrent that torrent!

smcn @ May 12th 2009 4:48PM

Weird Al - Don't Download This Song

Cosmo @ May 12th 2009 4:54PM

Lose the greed, there's no need to seed, you download that torrent, get ready for the arrest warrant!

The Baron @ May 12th 2009 5:02PM

I just finished workin' on this awesome crack, but I linked it on a forum and they said it was whack

Jake B @ May 12th 2009 7:58PM

Gimme the loot! Gimme the loot!

THE Ezio Auditore de Firenze (PSN slycooper_rocker) @ May 12th 2009 8:42PM

System of a Down - Don't Steal This Album

acefondu @ May 12th 2009 4:44PM

Piracy, it's the new way to demo a game before you buy. lol. Though I think the PC game sales increase is due to more affordable high end computers. I mean you can play Crysis now on a simple $600 computer, and less if you build it yourself.

Cosmo @ May 12th 2009 4:47PM

I think its also due to Steam and other digital distribution methods to buy games without getting out of our basements into the unforgiving sunlight to drive all the way to a store and interact with others to purchase a game. : )

acefondu @ May 12th 2009 4:49PM

lol. That is quite true. Though, with Steam lately I've just been abusing their weekend sales events. Lost Planet for $5, hell yes!

Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO @ May 12th 2009 4:51PM

"Don't Copy That Floppy"

Lucky for me Games don't come on Floppy disk anymore....

Jake B @ May 12th 2009 8:02PM

I wish I was as tough as you obviously are based on your totally tough picture.

TUFF

MatsJn @ May 12th 2009 4:52PM

Personally I got tons of no-cd cracks simply because I can't be arsed to swap discs all the time. Oh and I had to download Fallout 3 and install it that way simply because the discs copy protection made it impossible for my dvd to read the disc (old dvd-drive yes, but I've never had any other problems with it).

DBuck_Eye @ May 12th 2009 4:56PM

You're a dick, but at least you're telling the truth, unlike all the people on this site who say they only do it to demo games. WE ALL KNOW YOU'RE LYING, PEOPLE!! YOU CAN STOP TRYING TO JUSTIFY WHAT YOU DO!! :P

MatsJn @ May 12th 2009 4:59PM

How can I be a dick for wanting to play the game that I buy with the least hassle? Noone loses anything, the only one who gains anything is me that gets a more accessible game library.

The Baron @ May 12th 2009 5:04PM

I know a guy who bought a retail copy of BioShock and then pirated it because he was trying to keep SecuROM off his system.

squeehunter @ May 12th 2009 6:29PM

Photoshop has to count for a chunk of that 41% seeing as no one is going to pay $700 (when it's alternatives are $100 like it should be) for it. But still 41% is shameful.

Einhanderkiller @ May 12th 2009 6:51PM

Photoshop costs that much because it's a professional product intended for professionals to use to make money.

Lionbacker steamID: detfan1957 @ May 12th 2009 8:16PM

And GIMP is free! I use that. Its amazing

jinn35 @ May 12th 2009 4:58PM

"Other countries remain at a 90 percent or higher piracy rate, however, including Georgia, Bangladesh, Armenia, Zimbabwe, Sri Landa, Azerbaijan and Moldova":

Pretty sure it is Sri Lanka.

Cosmo @ May 12th 2009 5:03PM

Yes it is.

Joystiq, the "D" and "K" letters aren't anywhere close to each other, so you don't have that excuse. : /

Zertoss @ May 12th 2009 5:09PM

To be fair, it says Sri Landa in the Reuters article.

SidearmS @ May 12th 2009 4:58PM

@ Cosmo: actually, the main article lists the decrease in China due to the government actually using verified software and such:

"The progress in China came because the government decided to use only legitimate software, because Internet service providers cooperated in taking pirates off the Internet when asked, and because of other steps, said Holleyman."

I do not see Steam listed anywhere in that. Also, Steam's DRM is a joke, easily broken within 24 hours now. Like the guy below you said, unless is it usually a sale on Steam, you do not hear much in the way of usage in non-Valve titles.

I find the PC piracy rate increase funny as heck because of all the "DRM" and "services" crap we have been reading about in the past year. For something that is supposed to combat piracy, it seems to have made more people actually do it more. Let that one sink in for a moment...

GFWL - Steam has helped prevent piracy as much as my a$$ has helped provide cleaner air for the planet.

Zertoss @ May 12th 2009 5:08PM

"Even though the US only has a 20 percent piracy rate (which is the lowest in the world), Robert Holleyman, president and CEO of the BSA, says that figure is a lot worse considering we buy more software than any other country."

Am I the only one that read this as "The U.S. has the lowest software piracy rate in the world, but because we legally purchase more software than any other country as well, the piracy rate is actually really really bad."?

I also love how the example used in the article makes it sound like half of all software is pirated. To paraphrase, "20% of software in the U.S. is pirated, that's like a business buying 25 licenses and using that software on 50 machines."

That doesn't make a lick of goddamn sense. I question the veracity of this study.

Eh @ May 12th 2009 8:25PM

It means the USA has the most titles available to buy, which they should have made way more clear since its an extremely important factor to consider when looking at percents. Other countries pirate almost all of their games because they cant buy them in the first place. I doubt people in Azerbaijan can just stroll down to their local best buy and pick up a copy of Crysis, so they have to download all the popular games worth playing.

The 90% figures were just an attempt to sensationalize the story. The countries with the most titles available to buy are going to have the lowest percentage of piracy and the countries with the least amount of titles to buy (if ANY titles to buy) are going to have the highest percentage of piracy.

Its like comparing "illegal" drug use between the USA and Netherlands when the Netherlands doesnt consider marijuana illegal, the percentage will be distorted.

WRE Returns @ May 12th 2009 5:10PM

Hey.

THE Ezio Auditore de Firenze (PSN slycooper_rocker) @ May 12th 2009 5:21PM

why'd you get banned, if you got banned?

Markez @ May 12th 2009 5:30PM

VOTE FOR 1A, WRE, OR MAYBE AHNOLD WILL STRAIGHT UP BAN OUTTA SOCAL, TOO!

WRE Returns @ May 12th 2009 6:22PM

I don't know. I'm one of the least offensive guys on here, IMHO. Unless you're Canadian, I guess...

THE Ezio Auditore de Firenze (PSN slycooper_rocker) @ May 12th 2009 7:04PM

my old account was still there but i couldn't write any new comments. is that what happened to you?

WRE Returns @ May 12th 2009 7:08PM

Yeah, but in the post earlier today about Atari at E3 my comment disappeared and then my ability to post comments was taken and when I got back up and running and posted in the Atari story again asking Alexander Sliwinski if I got banned and why, that comment disappeared, too. Conspiracy?