Record US$233mn lost to pirated software in 2010

34 percent of software deployed on PCs last year was pirated, said the Business Software Alliance.

Accordin to BSA's study, the commercial value of unlicensed software installed on PCs in Singapore reached a record US$233 million in 2010, more than double the losses of US$90 million in 2003.

In 2009, 35 percent of the software installed on PCs in Singapore was obtained illegally, while the value of pirated software amounted to US$197 million.

“Singapore has done well to lower its PC software piracy rate by one percentage point. However, the commercial value of pirated software has continued to rise to record levels, indicating the severity of the piracy problem. While the government has done well in strengthening its copyright laws and working with the industry to educate businesses and consumers on the need to use legal and licensed software, a sustained effort is required to make continued headway against software piracy," said Roland Chan, Senior Director - Marketing, Asia-Pacific.

“Additionally, there is also no reason why Singapore cannot join the ranks of the economies with the lowest PC software piracy rates in the region. Japan’s piracy rate is 20 percent, while New Zealand is 22 percent, and Australia is 24 percent. At 34 percent, Singapore is a distant fourth place in Asia-Pacific, but with continued commitment from the government, a top three ranking among the economies with the lowest piracy rates in the Asia Pacific is certainly achievable,” said Chan.