Thursday, 15 May 2008

Illegal PC Software Use Down to 84% in Indonesia

Industry losses due to software piracy in Indonesia rose to USD411 million in 2007. For comparison, piracy of software on personal computers (PC) in Thailand fell two percentage point from 85% in 2006 to 84% in 2007, amid a global trend in which piracy rates dropped in most countries.

Based on study released by the Business Software Alliance (BSA), Indonesia has taken a step in the right direction, but has more work to do in the battle against software piracy.

According to Donny A. Sheyoputra, BSA Representative in Indonesia, reducing piracy further would deliver significant benefits for local consumers, local software and services firms, small businesses, and the society at large.

"BSA believes that the commitment shown by the Indonesian Police, Director General of Intellectual Property Rights (DGIPR) and other related departments in promoting intellectual property rights will lead to Indonesia maintaining steady progress in its fight against software piracy," said Sheyoputra.

On the other hand, an IDC economic impact study released in this year found that reducing PC software piracy in Indonesia by ten percentage points in four years could create 2,200 new jobs, USD1.7 billion in economic growth and USD88 million in tax revenues above current projections.

"Clearly, the reduction of software piracy in Indonesia would generate economic benefits for the country," added Sheyoputra. He said , it is also important to remind software users of the productivity gains and enhanced security offered by genuine software.