The software piracy rate in Russia dropped from 87 percent in 2003 to 80 percent in 2006.
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Russia Out of Top 20 Software Piracy Countries
Russia has left the top 20 of countries with the highest piracy rates, the Business Software Alliance said in its annual study released on Tuesday. In a reaction to the news, Microsoft has promised to open outbound codes of Windows and Office for Russian software producers soon, which will make Russian products more competitive on the international market.
For the first time in its history Russia was listed among top 20 countries with the highest piracy rates, the Business Software Association (BSA) said Tuesday, presenting its annual Global Piracy Study.
The software piracy rate in Russia dropped from 87 percent in 2003 to 80 percent in 2006. The list of countries with the largest share of illegal software sales features Armenia (95 percent), Moldova (94 percent), Vietnam (88 percent), Ukraine (84 percent), China (82 percent) and others, according to the research. The United States (21 percent), Japan (25 percent) and Finland (27 percent) have the lowest piracy rates. At the same time, the United States leads in terms of losses due to software piracy - $7.2 billon in 2006.
Sales of legal software in Russia were worth $1.55 billion last year, according to IDC. The Finam investment company estimates illegal sales at $2.5 billion. Experts predict a further drop in piracy rates in the country due to a broad crackdown on piracy and sales of computers with installed software.
Microsoft’s Russian office said Tuesday it would open outbound codes for Windows and Office next year or in two years if Russia retains a high pace of battling piracy.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of May 16, 2007
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