Installations of unlicensed software on personal computers in the UAE remained unchanged at 36 per cent from 2008 to 2009, said a study.

The Business Software Alliance (BSA), an international association representing the global software industry, in partnership with market research firm IDC, recently announced its seventh annual global software piracy study, tracking PC software piracy rates in more than 100 economies.

Despite the global economic recession, piracy of software on PCs declined in many markets, dropping in 54 economies and increasing in only 19, according to the study.

However, the global piracy rate increased from 41 to 43 per cent, largely the result of fast growing, higher piracy markets such as China, India, and Brazil increasing their share of the overall software market.

“The committed and sustained efforts by the Ministry of Economy, the BSA and other organisations have ensured that the UAE remains among the top 25 global economies with the lowest piracy rate,” said Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Alshihhi, director general of the UAE Ministry of Economy.

Jawad Al Redha, BSA co-chairman in the Gulf region, said: “This study makes clear that BSA’s efforts to reduce software piracy in the UAE are still of vital importance.”

IDC finds that for every $100 worth of legitimate software sold in 2009, an additional $75 was pirated. But this is an issue that affects more than industry revenues, as lowering PC software piracy can have significant economic benefits.

A 2008 BSA/IDC study on the economic impact of reducing software piracy  found that lowering the software piracy rate by ten points over four years could boost the local IT sector’s revenue by Dh1.11 billion ($300 million) and generate almost a thousand additional IT-related jobs.

IDC estimates that for every dollar of legitimate software sold in a country, there are another $3-$4 of revenue for local service and distribution firms.

Piracy also puts consumers at risk by compromising their computer security, since pirated software often contains malware.

The BSA also inked several memoranda of understanding, organised roundtables, and trained judicial experts across the Middle East as part of its commitment to escalating region-wide anti-software piracy activities.

“The BSA/IDC global piracy study shows there was some progress in the global fight against software piracy in 2009 – but incremental change is not enough,” said Al Redha.

“Piracy is limiting IT innovation, job creation, local economic growth and is robbing governments of vital tax revenues.  Our report makes it very clear that governments around the world must redouble their efforts to combat software theft,” he concluded. – TradeArabia News Service