ITBiz | lekasina.com

Thailand’s software piracy rate is dropped to 72 per cent from 73 per cent in previous year, but the value of pirated software is increased from US$777million to $US852 million or Bt26.4 billion according to the latest release of Business Software Alliance (BSA), the 2011 BSA Global Software Piracy Study.

Thailand is ranked as the 15th from top 20 economies in commercial value of pirated PC software. The value of pirated software in Thailand in 2011 is US$852 million, while value of legal software in Thailand in 2011 is US$331 million.

BSA spokesperson Varunee Ratchatapattanakul said that the software piracy rate in 2011 is 72 per cent that is meaning nearly two out of three programs that used installed were unlicensed. Therefore, the authority would react by increasing police patrols and penalties. Software piracy demands a similar response that are concerted public education and vigorous law enforcement.

Globally, the study found that piracy rate in the emerging market is higher than the mature market. By average, the piracy rate in the emerging market is 68 per cent, while 24 per cent in the mature market.

BSA president and chief executive officer Robert Holleyman said that software piracy persists as a drain on the global economy, IT innovation and job creation. Governments must take steps to modernize their intellectual property (IP) laws and expand enforcement efforts to ensure that those who pirate software face real consequences.

However, the pirated software in Asia Pacific in 2011 is 60 per cent that worth around US$20.99 billion while the pirated software in the global is 42 per cent that worth US$63.45 billion, increased from US$58.8 billion in 2010, a new record, propelled by PC shipments to emerging markets where piracy rates are highest.

Varunee added that the three solutions that BSA proposes the authorities to execute to help reduce the piracy rate. First, the government should increase public education and raise awareness about software piracy and IP rights in cooperation with industry and law enforcement. Second, the government should strengthen enforcement of IP laws with dedicated resources including specialized enforcement units, training for law enforcement and judiciary officials. And third, the government should lead by example by using licensed software, implementing software asset management programs, and promoting the use of legal software on state-own enterprises, and among all contractors and suppliers.

This study is the ninth annual study of global software piracy conducted by BSA in partnership with International Data Corporation (IDC) and Ipsos Public Affairs. Its methodology involves collecting 182 discrete data inputs and assessing PC and software trends in 116 markets. It also include a survey of 15,000 computer users in 33 countries that together constitute 82 per cent of the global PC market.