Staying on the software straight and narrow

Pro

1 April 2005

If you asked a random group of people whether they’re law-abiding citizens or not, it’s likely that the majority of them would claim that they were. That’s not too surprising really. After all, most of us tend to spend our evenings sitting in front of the TV rather than breaking and entering strangers’ homes. However, things are rarely as black and white as that.

Although most individuals stay away from committing outright dishonest acts there’s no doubt that a large number of us have occasionally crossed the line and committed some minor misdemeanour at some point. Despite this, few of us would ever consider ourselves to be criminals in the common sense of the word
and would be appalled at being labelled as such.

Therefore, I was somewhat surprised to come across a survey recently which found that almost one in every two software programs installed in Ireland is an illegal copy. The report, which was carried out by IDC on behalf of the Business Software Alliance (BSA) indicates that the software piracy rate here stands at a whopping 41 per cent, which is four per cent about the European average.

Possessing pirated software is unlikely to result in your mugshot appearing on the next edition of Crimeline. But at the same time, only a fool would not be concerned about possessing pirated software, particularly if it is being used in the workplace. The 2000 Copyright and Related Rights Act makes the deliberate misuse of software by a business a criminal offence for which company directors can be penalised. In recent times, the BSA has made it a priority to monitor compliance and lobby for enforcement of this act, resulting in prosecution of a number of Irish firms.

At the very least, being found guilty of possessing pirated software is embarrassing, and it could lead to serious repercussions if your customers come to hear of it. But that’s just the start. You may be able to live with the shame of a criminal conviction; how do you feel about being to blame for costing people their jobs?

Ireland is currently the largest exporter of software in the world but the local industry is being seriously undermined by our inability to address the problem of piracy. Not only is our piracy rate humiliating for those who are trying to sell our expertise, but according to recent estimates from the BSA, just  a 10 per cent reduction in software piracy could lead to the creation of over 2,400 new jobs and in excess of €236 million in tax revenues by 2006. 

Some might view software piracy as a victimless crime; after all, the large corporations won’t miss the few hundred euro your software costs them, will they? But there’s more at stake than simply corporate profits. Software piracy causes a knock-on effect that reverberates throughout the Irish economy.

Therefore, maybe we should all make more of an effort to stay on the straight and narrow where our software is concerned.

11/10/04

Read More:


Back to Top ↑

TechCentral.ie