Canadians view software theft as less serious than swiping office supplies or embellishing facts on a resume, a trade group said Monday.
More than half of 1,156 Canadians consider it “not a big deal” to steal software for personal use — a smaller crime than pilfering towels from a hotel or keeping incorrect change given by a store clerk — according to a Decima Research survey.
That astounds the Canadian Alliance Against Software Theft, a trade group of the world’s biggest software makers, including Microsoft, Apple and Adobe Systems.
“It’s theft,” said Jacqueline Famulak, CAAST president. “It’s no different than stealing a car or walking out of a retail store with something that hasn’t been paid for.”
Oddly, while most Canadians consider it acceptable to poach software for personal use, 70 per cent object to working for a company that uses illegal copies.
Of those who would report the crime, two-thirds would rat out their boss.
Such findings seem to indicate Canadians recognize software piracy is unethical for large businesses, but feel differently when it comes to home or personal use.
That attitude needs to change, said Famulak.
“Maybe people think they are flying below the radar screen in their home,” she said. “It’s shocking. We’re struggling to understand why people feel this way.”
The rate of software piracy in Canada was 38 per cent in 2001, compared with 25 per cent in the United States.
It cost the economy $2 billion in wage and salary losses, $289 million in retail sales and more than 32,000 jobs, according to a study conducted by International Planning and Research Corp.
Globally, the piracy rate is 40 per cent. Vietnam, China and Indonesia — which lack copyright laws — top the list.
The software industry worldwide lost about $11 billion in sales in 2001.
The fine for copyright infringement in Canada is $20,000. Many in the software industry believe fines as high $200,000 — the maximum that can be sought in the United States — are required to send a strong warning to thieves.
“People don’t think they’ve done anything wrong when they steal software because they haven’t ‘taken’ anything tangible away,” said Diana Piquette, Microsoft Canada’s anti-piracy manager. “But piracy has a tremendous financial impact on everybody — not just software publishers like Microsoft — but developers and retailers.”
The biggest instances of software piracy in Canada are in the Atlantic provinces, with the fewest in Alberta and Quebec.
It’s believed Canada’s most populous regions have lower piracy rates because of higher concentrations of large businesses and government offices, relative to individual users.
tgignac@theherald.canwest.com
Survey Results
- Approximately one in five Canadians admits to “occasional” or “frequent” copying.
- Of those who do not steal software, 77 per cent cite fears a virus will damage their computer.
- Only 20 per cent of Albertans consider software piracy a “serious” crime.
- Some 48 per cent of corporate IT departments say the fines for piracy affect the decision to copy software.
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