Software piracy costs record $63.4b in 2011

Software piracy cost the industry a record $63.4 billion globally in 2011 with emerging economies listed as the main culprits, an annual study said yesterday.
This was up nearly eight percent from the previous record of $58.8 billion in 2010, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) said in the study.
In the Asia Pacific, which comprises several emerging economies including China, bootleg software usage also cost the industry an all-time high of $21 billion last year, up 12 percent from 2010, BSA said.
Emerging markets had an average piracy rate of 68 percent, far exceeding the 42 percent global average and 24 percent in mature economies, according to the study which is based on a survey of about 15,000 computer users in 33 markets.
These markets account for 82 percent of the global PC market.