SUMMERSIDE - Software piracy may be in decline in Canada, but the issue is still proving costly for some businesses.
A Summerside company, Wiebel Aerospace, recently paid more than $35,000 in damages to the Business Software Alliance (BSA) to settle claims of unauthorized copying of copyrighted material.
BSA spokesperson Rodger Correa said unlicensed software is a worldwide issue that's costing companies millions, even billions of dollars.
"In Canada, just like in all other countries, piracy is a widespread issue that spreads across various industries from manufacturing to education to development," Correa said.
"We don't feel the government has put a significantly strong enough push behind getting valid copyright protection in their legislation...and that makes progress more difficult."
The Washington D.C. based organization receives 90 per cent of illegal software complaints via its online reporting forum, www.nopiracy.ca.
Correa said the BSA has received three leads from P.E.I. in the past three years that have led to formal investigations.
The investigation at Wiebel Aerospace dealt with unlicensed Microsoft, Adobe and Symantec products.
Software products downloaded illegally over the Internet can be fraught with malware and viruses that could cost companies more to repair than if they purchased licensed software in the first place, Correa said.
Although the organization offers substantial rewards in exchange for information about companies using unlicensed software, many aren't seeking compensation.
Correa said 80 per cent of reports of pirated software come from current or former employees of the offending companies.
"The chances are extremely high that that would be the case (at Wiebel Aerospace)," he said. "We found there's a very strong ethical component on behalf of those individuals who report piracy to us."
When a complaint is received, the BSA will first determine whether it's valid before asking the company in question to perform an internal audit of its software.
The organization will then negotiate on a settlement with the business through a local law firm.
Although there is a misconception that the settlements go to the BSA's member companies like Microsoft, Correa said the funds are used exclusively for the organization's awareness campaigns about unlicensed software.
"Our goal with this program is essentially to drive ourselves out of a job," he said. "We're almost completely self-funded through these settlements that go on all over the world, and our aim is to create communication, a change of attitude and a change of habit so that piracy will continue to decline. We won't have much to do if the piracy rate declines beyond a certain level."
sbrun@journalpioneer.com
Some facts about software piracy in Canada
-28 per cent of software on computers in Canada is pirated, an all time low, but still with a retail value of about US$943 million
-One reason for the decline is more users purchasing laptops. Unlicensed software seems to be more common on desktop computers.
-Studies show about 80 per cent of unlicensed software purchased through eBay is infected with viruses and malware.
-Reducing Canada's piracy rate by 10 per cent over four years would create an estimated 6,445 new high-tech jobs.
Source: Business Software Alliance
