Global Software Piracy Study, 2007

The BSA and IDC Global Software Piracy Study covers piracy of all packaged software that runs on personal computers (PC), including desktops, laptops, and ultra-portables. This includes operating systems, systems software such as databases and security packages, business applications, and consumer applications such as games, personal finance, and reference software. The study does not include other types of software such as that which runs on servers or mainframes or software sold as a service.

There was notable progress in the battle against PC software piracy in 2007. Of the 108 individual countries studied in this report, the piracy rate dropped in sixty-seven countries from 2006 to 2007 and increased in only eight countries.

However, the weighted impact of high market growth in emerging markets was again felt worldwide.

Because the worldwide PC market grew much faster in higher-piracy countries and regions, the worldwide PC software piracy rate increased three percentage points to 38% from 2006 to 2007. PC shipments in Brazil, Russia, India, and China–commonly referred to as the BRIC countries–grew 26% last year, compared to 13% in North America, Western Europe, and Japan. The combined BRIC countries are now as large a PC market as the United States.

At the same time, because the size of the market grew significantly in 2007 and the value of the US dollar dropped nearly 7% against other currencies, losses from piracy rose by $8 billion to nearly $48 billion worldwide. In fact, real losses did not grow as fast as the overall PC software market, which grew faster than 15% last year.

While the worldwide weighted average piracy rate is 38%, the median piracy rate in 2007 is 61%, down one percentage point from last year despite the addition of six new countries to this report. This means that half of the countries studied have a piracy rate of 61% or higher. In more than one-quarter of the countries studied, the piracy rate is 80% or higher.

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