Piracy Figures Overblown

I've always felt that the piracy figures issued by BSA were overblown, because:

- the numbers are too rounded, an indication of guesswork, and not hard facts.
- the software companies behind the BSA need big numbers to get the attention of lawmakers and lawkeepers.

The blustery BSA has to face this: the number of North American companies charged with using unapproved copies of software is minuscule. It seems logical that if the piracy rate is huge, there should be a correspondingly high rate of piracy convictions. But there aren't.

Every time I'd read a press releases from of the BSA or one of their member companies, like Autodesk and SolidWorks, I roll my eyes. Once I tried to investigate the source of the BSA's claims, but didn't get very far. It's kind of like the denial that surrounds teachers being sexually involved with students -- not the sort of thing people want to believe.

Now others are starting to probe the BSA's statistics by putting some science to the matter. As The Australian newspaper found, "Piracy statistics are labelled 'self-serving hyperbole' in a draft government report."

The BSA can't claim the moral high ground in their battle when they mislead the public for what they perceive to be the greater good.

Comments

[R. Paul Waddington]

Ralph, I agree 100% with your comments about the BSA's. They have never responded appropriately or with any thing close to facts when asked. They claim to be there to teach industry about piracy but have never substantiated any or their claims. Financed by, and overseen by software vendors it has to be assumed their only role is to push the vendors wagon. We all already know the vendors are misleading we users so we should not be surprised when their industry voice does the same. Users need to be aware though if they keep accepting the licence contracts coming through you all will soon learn how the vendors and the BSA's, of the world, will get at what pirates there are through access to the data being stored on legitimate users systems!