The Business Software Alliance (BSA) joined with other copyright industries in identifying 48 countries that are lagging in their obligations to provide effective Intellectual Property (IP) protection for creative works, including computer software, a press release by the BSA stated.
BSA filed its recommendations as part of the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) submission to the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) on countries that should be included in the United States' annual Special 301 report.
The Special 301 provision requires USTR to identify, annually, countries that fail to provide adequate and effective protection for IP, or that deny fair and equitable market access to US companies that rely on IP protection for their copyrighted products.
“Piracy remains the software industry’s largest trade barrier, costing an estimated $48 billion in foregone revenues per year,” BSA President and CEO Robert Holleyman said.
“Moreover, software piracy harms local communities by lowering the amount of tax revenues available to support services such as police and fire protection, and it undermines the ability of software resellers and service providers to save and create good jobs,” he added.
According to a 2008 study conducted for BSA, reducing the global software piracy rate by 10 percentage points over four years could create 600,000 new jobs and deliver $24 billion in additional tax revenues worldwide.
Commissioned by BSA and conducted independently by research firm IDC, the study looks at the bottom line economic benefits of reducing piracy in 42 countries that together account for more than 90 percent of global IT spending in 2007.
“The Economic Benefits of Reducing PC Software Piracy,” is available online at www.bsa.org/idcstudy.
“In these difficult economic times, the importance of protecting Intellectual Property to stimulate economic activity is greater than ever,” Holleyman added.
“In fact, countries with moderate and high piracy rates stand to gain the most from reducing piracy in terms of creating stronger local IT sectors — and becoming stronger global trade partners,” he continued.
BSA encourages governments to reduce software piracy and reap the economic benefits by taking the following steps:
- Update national copyright laws to implement World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) obligations;
- Create strong enforcement mechanisms, as required by the World Trade Organization (WTO), including tough anti-piracy laws;
- Dedicate significant government resources to the problem, including national IP enforcement units, cross-border cooperation, and more training for local officers;
- Improve public education and awareness; and
- Lead by example by requiring the public sector to use only legitimate software.
The Business Software Alliance is the foremost organization dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world. BSA is the voice of the world's commercial software industry and its hardware partners before governments and in the international marketplace.
SOURCE:AGIPNEWS
