BSA Says 41% of Software On Personal Computers Is Pirated 569
An anonymous reader writes "Individuals are turning to P2P networks and auction sites in staggering numbers to acquire or transfer illegal software and in doing so are harming the economy whilst exposing themselves to malware, identity theft and criminal prosecution, according to a report from the Business Software Alliance. Beyond P2P and auction site piracy, the report also draws correlations between Internet piracy and the spread of malware such as viruses, trojans and spyware, which often exploit vulnerabilities in illegal software that does not benefit from security updates provided by manufacturers. Although the correlation is not universal, geographies with high instances of software piracy suffer from high instances of malware."
BSA invents statistics. (Score:5, Interesting)
Their first graph (which is in percentages, but they don't label the scale LOL) shows remarkably low rates of malware, and an alleged piracy rate (whatever that is) that is 4-10x higher.
Maybe they should check out http://garwarner.blogspot.com/ [blogspot.com]
BSA+RIAA+MPAA=organizations that make up stories and wait for their fake "facts" to be reused by their legislative bought henchmen.
E
Piracy on home computers (Score:4, Interesting)
Since the BSA is only concerned with business software, what they probably mean is that 41% of copies of MS Office on home computers are not legitimate copies, mostly copied from work. If those people didn't have a pirate copy of Office, that would probably be using OO.org or some other free equivalent, they wouldn't be paying for it.
(I guess a lot of people have academic versions of Office, and other app;ications like Adobe's suite, and they no longer are students so I guess that makes them pirates too.
Re:BSA invents statistics - higher ethics? (Score:5, Interesting)
Maybe one reason for such a poor correlation between alleged copyright infringement and malware rates is that most who engage in and enable copyright infringement actually do have higher ethics than some companies which deliberately add creepy spyware and malware-like features to their applications in the name of controlling what user's do. Indeed, I wonder if some even explicitly choose copyright infringement sources simply to get spy and malware disabled versions of certain applications.
From BSA Figures: Most Piracy Is Not Filesharing (Score:2, Interesting)
Even according to the UK Government's recent consultation [berr.gov.uk], about restricting Internet access of suspected filesharers, the figures of estimated damages due to software piracy is a staggering 144 times that of music, TV and films from filesharing:
The BPI claim P2P file-sharing costs the UK music industry £180m pa (2008) while IPSOS gives a loss in the UK for TV and films of £152m (2007). ... Figures for software - the biggest of the creative industries - are difficult to obtain, but it is estimated by the Business Software Alliance that the global business software industry suffers annual losses of some US$48 billion out of a total market of US$450 billion due to piracy. The bulk of these losses is caused by unauthorised copying of software within businesses, rather than by P2P.
( http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file51703.pdf [berr.gov.uk] )
So even though the Government has no reason to speak favourably of filesharing in this document, it still acknowledges that most software piracy is within businesses. So why does the BSA now focus on individuals and filesharing?
Note that even if we assumed every download was a lost sale(!), that means the upper bound for damages is $974 million for a six month period, according to the figure in the article, a fraction of the BSA's own estimate for commercial piracy damages, at $24 billion over six months.
the report also draws correlations between Internet piracy and the spread of malware such as viruses, trojans and spyware
Oh, and Government plans to reduce the bandwidth of suspected downloaders - thus making it hard or impossible to download the large Windows security updates - won't effect the spread malware at all...
Re:Why doesn't the BSA promote Linux instead? (Score:2, Interesting)
More like 0% here (Score:5, Interesting)
As a Ubuntu [ubuntu.com] user, I can say precisely 0% of the software on my PC is pirated AND I have no issues with malware, viruses, trojans, etc. (according to ClamAV [clamav.net] anyway). In fact, probably 99% of the software I run is free & open source. The only proprietary software I use for the time being is Adobe Flash and the ATI Radeon driver, both legally obtained.
I know we'd all like to say that there is no link between illegally copied software (I refuse to use the word "pirated") and malware, but I'm sure we've all seen instances where relatives' PCs got infected by software downloaded from Kazaa, etc.
What really surprises me is that, when given the choice between maybe catching viruses or getting prosecuted for downloading/installing illegal software and using the free and legal open source equivalent, so many people still choose to download their software illegally. I have to say, as a full-time user and software developer, Ubuntu's offering is really, really well put-together and a pleasure to use.
MS reps say its easier to pirate on Linux (Score:5, Interesting)
BSA Says 41% Software On Personal Computers Is Pirated
Well customers choose linux because Apps are easier to pirate [gotthefacts.org]. Steve Winfield of Microsoft's anti-FOSS Partner Technology Team (a.k.a. Delta Force) says so. It must be true.
In other news, sources not partnered with Microsoft announce that Microsoft's desktop market share has dipped down to 59%. Between Conficker and Internet banking exploits, it could happen.
Seriously, better check the BSA's definition of 'pirated'. Previous announcements like this turned out to classify any non-MS software as 'pirated'.
totally wrong correlation (Score:3, Interesting)
" geographies with high instances of software piracy suffer from high instances of malware."
Isn't this because the places you have to go in order to get free software aren't policed for malware? This really has nothing to do with the pirated software itself, but instead it has to do with the law preventing people from trading software for free in the first place. Software trading is outlawed == only outlaws will post software for trade (i.e. people already engaged in nefarious activities like malware).
Re:Two of the three letters in their name... (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm doing an informal survey of Godwin posts, and whether they are on-topic, or trolls, and whether they are signed, or AC. Can anyone link a prior study? BTW, nice metaphor, AC.
"Harming the economy"? (Score:3, Interesting)
First off, aside from the questionable validity of this study, I wonder really just how much these guys are "harming the economy"?
Personally, I've made an effort to avoid pirated software these days (I'll admit, I used some back when I was younger, but open source was less common back then and I had no money to spend anyways).
I mean, almost everything has a free replacement available these days.
Windows -> Linux
Outlook -> Thunderbird
Office -> OpenOffice.org (or actually Gnumeric and Abiword, which I actually kinda prefer myself)
Photoshop -> GIMP
Visual Studio -> GNU Compilers + lots of IDEs
Numerous Commercial CD Burning Programs -> Numerous Open Source CD Burning Programs
Don't get me wrong I know that for *professionals* GIMP often just ain't gonna compare to Photoshop. However, for personal computers at home, I think the vast majority of users are fine with the above. More to the point, I think that if the choice actually came down to paying retail price for the commercial versions or using free software (instead of their actual choice which was free pirated commercial software or free open source software), I doubt that very many at all would opt to shell out the cash.
And therein lies the problem - if these people would rather use free software instead of paying when called on this, then the net change in income for the makers of the software is nothing. That's not harming the economy. Indeed, it's likely helping the economy as if more people were forced to use open source and free software at home, then when they got to work and their boss asked them what programs they need budgeted into next years budget, they might just opt to keep using the open source ones, which would result in a DROP in revenue for the commercial companies. Methinks they don't want to push home users too hard here.
Re:41? (Score:4, Interesting)
But 2500 is far less than multiple millions. I don't believe the "pirating" of songs and videos has a large impact on the bottom line of these companies, and I wouldn't care if it did, to be honest, but to say it has no impact is just not true. The question of whether that impact is good or bad is simply a matter of perspective.
Not since the 1980 (Score:2, Interesting)
Apparently it doesn't matter which BSA it is - tbey'll both try to bugger you.
This hasn't been true for decades.
The OTHER BSA, the one that goes camping has had a strong child-safety aspect since the late 1980s or early 1990s.
The BSA requires adult leaders and Scouts to go through a sexual-abuse-awareness training program, and they even make those programs available to outside groups. They also have a 2-adult rule at all events and prefer 3 or 4 adults. They do not allow adults to be alone with Scouts unless there is an emergency or they are "alone" with but within eyesight of another adult.
I would be far more worried about a similar group that didn't have a 2-adult policy than the Scouts.
Oh, and as for the Business Software Alliance buggering you or more accurately your wallet, no argument there.
Re:41? (Score:3, Interesting)
>>>Because pirating software is not the answer to life the universe and everything.
Are you sure? On that somewhat-popular alternate universe called "Star Trek" TNG/DS9/&c, piracy is how everything works. People work and produce goods, and everyone else just takes them for free. They don't even use money anymore. That culture seems to make out okay so perhaps piracy is the answer - the path towards Roddenberry's utopia.
Is the BSA a front for Microsoft? (Score:3, Interesting)
Or, is the BSA just a bunch of extortionist thugs?
From wikipedia:
> According to an article in Mother Jones magazine,[4] the BSA discovered in 1995 that Antel, the Uruguayan national telephone company, had pirated US$100,000 worth of Microsoft, Novell, and Symantec software. The BSA's lawyers in Uruguay quickly filed suit, but dropped the suit in 1997 when Antel signed a "special agreement" with Microsoft to replace all of its software with Microsoft products. This has led to accusations that the BSA is a front for Microsoft, with its other members being enlisted purely to disguise Microsoft's dominant role.
Re:41? (Score:2, Interesting)
I used to buy software (mostly games) many years ago, and found that many games were just total crap, despite glowing reviews.. For instance:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/rise-of-the-robots [mobygames.com]
Apparently "Amiga Joker" rated this 91%, and the box itself touted high 90s reviews.. The game itself was total crap, and the few honest reviews gave it laughably low scores.
A lot of commercial non game software is also total garbage these days too, all bloat and fancy graphics to disguise horrific performance and showstopping bugs.
As a result i stick to free software... Sure, much of it is just as bad as its commercial counterparts but free crap is a lot more acceptable than expensive crap.
Re:41? (Score:3, Interesting)
It's called communism, and it fails because humans are lazy and greedy. If you can somehow persuade humans to stop being lazy and greedy, then pretty much any system of government will suffice.
Bloat & price (Score:3, Interesting)
While I am a programmer and try to buy all the software I use I find it difficult with some products to keep up with the upgrades.
BLOAT:
For example Word & Excel (Office) - to keep bashing M$ - is a bloat. There is not really a version which is minimal enough for my needs. I really-really do not need all the crap that ships with MS Office. I do not use their mail, I do not use anything other than Excel and Word. I would be happy with a minimal version, or a second hand version of Office 2003 (the one I use on my Mac). Still, document formats are forced on people and most people just HAVE TO get it, and then do not want to pay because they feel they are buying the same product over and over. Oh, did I mention SPACE? Yeah, to read a document I really need to have gigabites of crap installed on my systems? I know I can select packages, but they still install a crap load of libraries and all that what would not be needed by just e.g. Word and Excel.
PRICE:
I use almost only free software to develop. Jedit, vi, whatever, but form time to time I need something that costs money. Most of the time I am faced with a price tag of $50-100 for an app I would use once (e.g. to decode a stored procedure or to save in a special format, or to repair an installation)....
Version & function
Here is Zend studio for example: I simply hate the new version, I cannot make peace with that eclipse bloated horror. I love the old version and the functions in it are more than satisfactory for my PHP needs. But can I buy it? No. I cannot/do not want to use the new version and I cannot buy the old version, so my option is: pirate it - since it is against my standards I am trying to use something else, but this old yet unavailable version is something I go back to from time to time.
I think companies should have more options and combinations of their products, for the utility kind of things there should be a 10-day license too so people would more likely to buy the version they need instead of pirating it.
Re:41? (Score:1, Interesting)
But it's true that piracy is hurting the industry (be that software, games, music or movies)
You are sure opening yourself to a lot of flak by that statement. For starters, define "piracy". Define "hurting". Define "the industry". Because I would argue that as a whole, society benefits from piracy. There is indeed no arguing against the hypothesis that if everybody would nicely pay for all software they have on their PC, the software industry revenue would increase. But what can be argued, is why all software should be paid in full by everyone, since the reproduction cost is virtually nonexistant. Also, I would argue that there really is no consumer-friendly pricing for most products: no one will pay $200+ if they're only going to use a program once or twice.
And by "hurting", do you also consider that piracy is a form of word-of-mouth advertising? That when the local town-geek pirates a tool and recommends it to his peers, that some of that peers might actually buy the tool? That one pirate might lead to many customers (and of course, as many or more pirates)?
And define "piracy". When I use my XP activation key that came with my laptop to install a virtual machine, am I pirating? What if I remove said software from my laptop first? I know Microsoft would probably say it is illegal, while the laws in my country (NL) expressly allow it. If I download a Windows7 iso using bittorrent, and subsequently activate it using a store-bought activation key, am I still a pirate? If I torrent a game to see if it will work under Wine (yay for no playable demos), am I a pirate or a cautious buyer? I still have a number of flac files on my computer that are ripped from my ex-girlfriends cd collection. Am I a pirate for not having deleted those files when we split up?
I'm currently CNE certified. I achieved my certification for a major part by downloading the Netware OES iso's from Novell, and building my own virtual network with them. Am I a pirate for that? Because Novell's user base has only expanded since I achieved my certification...
And finally, I will give you one example where the industry is hurting itself: a few months ago I needed to recover some data that was stored on XP encrypted user folders. I actually found a tool online that would decrypt them (elcomsoft or something like that). The tool cost $100, which is quite a lot for one-time usage, but since it wouldn't be my money, I decided to evaluate it, and recommend my client to buy it if it indeed worked. Well guess what: it didn't do anything. After I entered the user's password, most keys turned green and it allowed me to decrypt the files, but the resulting files were garbage (probably still encrypted). Then, when I tried to close the program, if gave a popup saying something like "you need to buy it before the program will actually work" - And now I had a problem. How could I recommend my client to spend $100 without proof that the tool would work? So, I ended up downloading a serial number and unlocking the program. Then, it did work. But at the same time, I no longer needed the tool...
As for myself, I'm using Debian. But I do have libdvdcss2 and w32codecs installed. I don't know if that's legal around here, and I don't care. I would assert that it should be legal: the burden of license compliance should be on the content creator, not the end user.
And market share... (Score:2, Interesting)
Of course, the BSA isn't going to mention that in their statistics.
Re:41? (Score:3, Interesting)
Harvard Study 5000 downloads == 1 lost album sale - http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=5000+downloads+lost+CD+sales [lmgtfy.com]
I can't find the other study, but it used statistical analysis to determine 2500 downloads results in just one lost CD sale
Re:41? (Score:4, Interesting)
This is exactly how I use my Pirated software.
Through college I had the full version of Matlab/Simulink. I used toolboxes that the school didn't have when doing class projects. I learned everything I could about it and the toolboxes available.
Now, 6 years later, I was able to talk my boss into buying a few extra special toolboxes for the work we do. Something close to $30k a seat a year. Had I never 'pirated' all that software I would have never been able to sell my self to my company, nor sell my company on Matlab toolboxes.
Same goes for Photoshop, Final Cut Pro and quite a few other "Pro" applications that should they be needed, I can put them on a resume.
The personal stuff I use at home. GraphicConverter, etc, I like to pay for.
Octave is NOT an alternative for most of Matlab.
When will /. stop reporting this nonsense? (Score:5, Interesting)
Their Calculation goes like this:
as you can see, they just have to raise their estimates of "how much software a PC needs" a little bit to skyrocket the piracy... also they don't consider people using free software or older versions of software, so all in all their piracy report means nothing more than "we would have wanted to sell THIS much more software!"
Re:41? (Score:5, Interesting)
While you're guessing with such precision, why not choose 42% and grab more nerd eyes?
Because pirating software is not the answer to life the universe and everything.
No no no no no.
42 is the answer.
Pirating software is the question.
I don't doubt it (Score:3, Interesting)
I don't doubt it, but on the other hand, Adobe, Microsoft, et. al really ought to lower their prices. Ever since Microsoft knocked Wordperfect/Corel Office and Lotus Smartsuite pretty much out of the market the price for Office Pro has quadrupled. Ever since Corel Draw became irrelevant and the graphics companies consolidated (Adobe buying up Aldus, Corel buying up Jasc, etc.) the Adobe apps have skyrocketed in price.
They got where they are through piracy: if fark-reading college students didn't pick up photoshop off of "warez" sites and learn their suites, Adobe might not have been able to maintain such dominance in the industry. If every Tom, Dick, and Harry didn't "pirate" Microsoft Office, maybe the monopoly wouldn't exist. Maybe Microsoft just might be more interested in interoperability because it would benefit them. They got where they are through piracy, and then implemented strict "activation" schemes now. The thing is, activation schemes only penalize paying customers. People who run 'cracked' software don't have to deal with false positives. They don't have to call Microsoft and wait on hold for 20 minutes for manual craptivation after they've done their second semi-annual Windows reinstall or did their video card upgrade. "Pirates" just install their cracked and slipstreamed Windows and Adobe Creative Suite install and they're done. Activation and Genuine Advantage don't affect them in the slightest.
It's pathetic when the "counterfeit" software is superior to the legitimate.
What is the solution? When it comes to operating systems, there is Linux, BSD, OpenSolaris, and other options - or even Mac OS X if you're adventurous enough to explore the hackintosh option (or just pick up a Mini). When it comes to office suites, download openoffice.org. With rare exception, the OpenOffice.org Suite will do everything you need it to do, and if you're an advanced user, you'll find that many features (such as integration with databases) is actually easier and superior in OpenOffice. Sure, the macro language is lacking in documentation, but if you're a coder, you'll be too busy appreciating knowing that your macro will actually work on a Mac to think about missing VBA.
When it comes to graphic suites, unless you need things like layer effects, droplets, and other advanced features, gimp, inkscape, and xara extreme are very likely good enough for you. If you know what layer effects are, then no, gimp won't replace Photoshop, but your living probably does rely on Adobe product to some extent so go out and buy it; yes, it runs on Crossover Office (or even wine with some finagling).
I run Linux about 95% of the time. F/OSS does it for me. Here is what I still need Windows for:
* running my embroidery machine
* Netflix (damn you, netflix! Bring the flash player back!)
* syncing my iPhone (let's get with it, Amarok!)
* several games that run on neither Crossover nor Cedega - and yes, a couple of them are Microsoft games
Now, I had a really good Hackintosh install running for a while - but I had to wipe it to free up a drive for a job. When I go back to the Hackintosh I plan to install Snow Leopard. I would love to run OS X 100% of the time (Yes, it's legal. I do own a Mac but like PC hardware better; I use workstation motherboards and faster CPUs and video cards) but I find the KDE environment so productive with kioslaves in konqueror, it's hard to give it up and switch to the Finder. Most F/OSS software I run on Linux is also available on OS X. Worst case, it runs under fink.
Seriously though: let's give companies what they want. They got where they are through "piracy" because tom, dick, and harry learned the apps at home and brought that knowledge to the office where it influenced purchase decisions. Download F/OSS instead, learn it, and bring that knowledge to the office. You'll see Adobe, Microsoft, etc. either lowering their prices or even "licensing" software free for personal use, much like the antivirus companies did.
Re:Well, if that's how they want to think about it (Score:2, Interesting)
"Software never was a product. And it never will be. It's a service. A service done once. And that work is what you pay for. Not the result. Because that would be the sick twisted view that Gates introduced back then. (Yep, you can thank him for that too.)"
no, you are paying for the result, because the result is what you actually use.
"Think if it like we all throwing money in a pot, to pay for a big software project. Then if there is no more work to do, and we don't think that what was done is worth more than what we already payed, we stop paying."
I feel the same way about GNU software. It's my right to use it any way I see fit (including selling it an not giving back to the community). I'm glad we are on the same page.
Re:41? (Score:4, Interesting)
Such as? If you could give me a good, viable alternative to Matlab, Simulink and the Auto Coding functions I'm listening.
*Everyone* uses Matlab. That level of support does not come cheap. Boeing, Ford, GM, Chrysler, BMW, VW, Benz, Caterpillar, Deere, Cummins, Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Haldex, Samsung. I bet you can't go a day without using something Mathworks helped design. There are some people out there using it for Day Trading.
It is almost to the point that electing to boycott Mathworks is like trying to boycott the i386.
Tools cost money. Good tools cost more money. If I built houses for a living I'd buy a Dewalt. Even if 99% of slashdot scoffed at paying $300 for a 'cordless drill.'
I did my own survey of desktops at work... (Score:1, Interesting)
I did my own survey of desktops at work., and I found that 87% of the software installed was procured from a convicted monopolist at price that reflects a clear lack of competition in the marketplace. Is it any wonder that non-business customers are happier to buy a copy from a slightly dodgy man in the street, or to copy from a friend, rather than pay an origanised criminal 'software mafia' for it?
Re:41? (Score:2, Interesting)
Well, check this shit out. I run Linux upon which I have a copy of VirtualBox with a pirated copy of Windows XP so I can run my pirated copy of Streets & Trips for GPS navigation. When a workable navigation solution is released for x86 Linux, I'll drop Windows like a hot potato. What percentage of my computer software is pirated?
Basically, here's my take. Fuck Windows and fuck OSX. I have no respect for any software company that doesn't develop for Linux. I buy my Linux software when it's for sale and I want it. I'll die before I buy software that runs on a proprietary operating system. And that's why I pirate. And really, I couldn't give a fuck less whether anybody liked it or not. Matter of fact, I hope you don't like it.
Re:41? (Score:3, Interesting)
If you can somehow persuade humans to stop being lazy and greedy, then pretty much any system of government will suffice.
To be fair to Star Trek, it wasn't a change in human nature that brought about their Utopian society, but the discovery/invention of a way of having practically unlimited resources. Redistribution of wealth will work just fine when the total available wealth is far beyond what the entire population could possibly use in their entire lifetimes.
Re:41? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:41? (Score:3, Interesting)
And where are they claiming that its lost sales? They've just saying that 41% of software on personal computers is pirated. There's no talk about lost sales. Stop making stuff up.
How else are we supposed to interpret "harming the economy"?