How severe is the software piracy issue in India and how’s it affecting the Microsoft business?
Software piracy is a far-reaching and serious problem for economies around the world. According to the BSA-IDC Fifth Global Software Piracy study, globally piracy rates were as high as 38 percent, and this amounted to losses of US$ 48 billion for the industry. India itself lost US$ 2,025 million in 2007 to software piracy, which is a substantial increase from US$ 367 million in 2003. Over the last few years, software piracy in India has been declining, and this is a result of consolidated efforts put in by the govt, industry and vendors. We have also seen a stable growth in users buying original software. A yardstick for the success of these initiatives is evident in the fact that in 2004 the piracy rate was 74 percent and by 2007 it was 69 percent. How will you address the issue and what are the challenges? There’s substantial scope in reducing piracy in India in the coming years. For this, industry, govt and vendors have to work toward increasing awareness and appreciation for Intell
