US software piracy keeping cops off the streets

BSA makes claim of piracy ripple effect Written by Iain Thomson in San Francisco The Business Software Alliance is claiming that if software piracy is costing communities police and housing. In its review of piracy in the US the pressure group, funded by major software vendors, found that although four out of every five pieces of software is legally bought the remaining pirated material is costing the industry $11.4bn and local government $1.7bn in lost taxes. This would pay for 100 middle schools or 10,800 affordable housing units, or hire nearly 25,000 experienced police officers. “The United States may have the lowest PC software piracy rate in the world, but still, one out of every five pieces of software put into service is unlicensed,” said BSA Vice President of Anti-Piracy and General Counsel Neil MacBride. “Not only... [read full story]