BSA: Piracy “losses”

The BSA seems to be confused on where to pin the blame on software piracy, but it may be due to the audience they are trying to influence. Piracy is a global problem and it is hard to pin it down to a single cause. Currently P2P networks are a problem, but according to this year’s study, the addition of consumer program piracy statistics (which would favor P2P as a distribution method) only contributed to 2-3 percent increase in piracy rates compared to 2002. Blaming P2P applications masks what is likely the largest factors in piracy rates and losses: unlicensed installed software and counterfeit software sold on street corners. Unfortunately, the BSA and their representative companies feel that lobbying for restrictive laws are more effective in thwarting piracy in countries with the lowest piracy rates, than mustering up additional forces to crack down on counterfeiting in countries with emerging markets and the highest piracy rates.

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