Anti-P2P group claims almost $1 billion USD worth of software was illegally shared on BitTorrent during the first half of this year, says disconnecting file-sharers is an “appropriate” sanction.
The Business Software Alliance, a group representing a number of the world’s largest software makers in the fight against copyright infringement, has released a new report titled Software Piracy on the Internet: A Threat To Your Security that claims almost $1 billion in software was illegally shared by BitTorrent users in the first half of this year.
It boasts that the special technology it uses to monitor P2P networks allowed it to increase the number of “takedown requests” it issued by more than 200% over the same period last year.
The BSA says its in-house Internet “crawler” managed to take down some 103,000 torrents from a number of BitTorrent tracker sites that we’re being used by nearly 2.9 million people to download software with a retail value of more than $974 million.
Talk about a waste of time. The BSA doesn’t seem to realize that for every torrent it removes there are a hundred or more found elsewhere.
“P2P networks are ideal for distribution of a wide variety of materials that can be legally shared with large groups and are a tool used by more businesses to enhance productivity,” said Jenny Blank, Senior Director of Legal Affairs for the BSA, in a press release. “Unfortunately, P2P technology is also a favorite channel for software pirates who see it as the perfect channel through which to distribute illegal and potentially dangerous software. One of the great disappointments of this technology, for all of its benefits, is that it is now too often seen as the domain only for pirates and malcontents who place no value on the work of software developers and designers.”
To further deter piracy the report also tries to make the case that file-sharers are exposing themselves to malware such as viruses, trojans and spyware, which it warns often exploit vulnerabilities in illegally downloaded software that does not benefit from security updates provided by manufacturers.
“Software piracy is a threat on multiple fronts. Pirated software can be a breeding ground for malware and can also open users up to crimes such as identity theft. Those who decide to acquire illegal software harm the economy and companies of all sizes. Moreover, those who engage in piracy open themselves up to civil and criminal prosecution,” added Blank.
In the report the BSA also reiterates its support for site filtering and a “three-strikes” approach for repeat offenders.
Stay tuned.
jared@zeropaid.com
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900 000 000$ of which is from copies commercial software people would never buy for their own use.
Probably true. The average home studio running off of pirated software seems to have at least several thousand dollars of stuff, but that’s not actually much when you consider how much Sonar etc. costs, add up some softsynths and you’re way over the top
But as far as their figure goes I bet half of it’s games.
The BSA does not sell games. You are an idiot, malgre.
I think you might take the time to read the report before you comment.
Regardless of whether I read the report or not, the name of this association is self-explanatory. Try to read what you write for once.
Read the report. Like I said, It’s probably half games. Go read.
Probably? It seems you haven’t even read it yourself.
Business Software Alliance doesn’t represent game companies.
You are thinking of the Entertainment Software Association, malcom.
In their report they don’t differntiate, they want the figure to be as big as possible so they just say ’software’. I don’t know how much of that is games but I bet a at least half of it is.
This is what they say:
“Worldwide, roughly 41 percent of all software installed
on personal computers is obtained illegally, with foregone
revenues to the software industry totaling $53 billion”
They don’t break it down into categories.
(Business) software =/= games, malgre. Get with it.
No wonder , too expensive. For example auto cad,3d soft,windows.
I use Windows XP and Microsoft cut updates and patches for XP.No respect for customer whatsoever so Microsoft is not respected either.
There should be price set for software according to your salary.
i love the wording they use.. they just need to change it a little and they can come up with something like
“One of the great disappointments of Free Speech, for all of its benefits, is that it is now too often seen as the domain only for communists and ‘liberals’ who place no value on the work of industry and the governments these industries control.”
which would, honestly, be a lot more accurate of a statement.
That being said, those of us with a clue know enough to support the software we care about. No support from us = no support from the developers = no future versions.
“That being said, those of us with a clue know enough to support the software we care about. No support from us = no support from the developers = no future versions.”
Knowing enough is not the same as having the money. Most college students can simply not afford AutoCAD or CreativeSuite… and neither of those 2 applications are going anywhere, despite whether the general public buys them or not, they have deals with educational institutions and corporations that license their software and that is where 90% of their revenue comes from. So I don’t think a college student or many college students downloading their software would ever have purchased anyway, because they can’t afford to.
Your argument is flawed.
I’ve suspected for a long time that companies like Adobe know that people are learning their software with pirated copies and let it happen, only really concerned when people use them in commercial situations. When someone learns photoshop, for example, they are less likely to want to go over to GIMP and a company that can wrote off expenses anyway will go ahead and buy a license for the industry standard that they already know how to use.
Another thing to think about is that M$ has they ability to disable every illegal copy of windows on the planet that’s connected to the internet – but they don’t. They want the potential customers especially in china. But you can be sure that they will retain at any cost the option of doing it.
Asserting another speculation, malgre?
Of course they let it happen, its called FREE PROMOTION, which is precisely what P2P’s all about.
Kids grow and then use purchased copies in the workplace.
The same with MS. Its better to have 1.2 billion using Win, even if pirated, then to have them use Linux instead.
The model may work for software, but files are not software. Software is like a machine that you learn to use, a file is just a file – and one copy is as good as the next. There are no future versions to upgrade to.
Where the learning curve isn’t so steep, and there’s no next version, like in games, a lot of companies are choosing to cut back on illegal copies or at least track them all over the internet.
Last year M$ turned off the wallpaper function in every single pirated copy of WIndows in China. All the backgrounds were just black. Millions and millions of people started to panic, we’re talking stockbrokers and bankers here, and the Chinese government begged M$ to restore the desktops, because their economy was being damaged. M$ restored the function. Since then, China has started enforcing IP laws, and sales of legitimate copies of Windows have gone through the roof.
“Software is like a machine that you learn to use, …”
Software is not a machine at all, hence the term.
“There are no future versions to upgrade to.”
The general term is future release, which does apply to music.
“… and there’s no next version, like in games, …”
No.
“… a lot of companies are choosing to cut back on illegal copies or at least track them all over the internet.”
Oh, really? No, not really.
“Last year M$ turned off the wallpaper function in every single pirated copy of WIndows in China.”
That wallpaper thing was due to a windows update, so it is improbable that every one was affected.
“Millions and millions of people started to panic, we’re talking stockbrokers and bankers here, and the Chinese government begged M$ to restore the desktops, because their economy was being damaged.”
Just for wallpaper? I call BS on this.
“Since then, China has started enforcing IP laws, and sales of legitimate copies of Windows have gone through the roof.”
I call BS on this as well.
You are going absolutely nowhere.
LOL what a story you came up with malcolm! Do you write short stories professionally or just on comment areas of websites?
Your previous comment about how Microsoft could shut down all pirated copies in the world also made me laugh. Are you are you really so naive? You know that handy feature on your Windows OS called Windows Update? Diable it. Now M$ can’t do shit.
(sorry hit enter by accident, will continue..)
furthermore, you could have a firewall too, how exactly do you suppose M$ could just “shut off” a pirated version of their OS running on a remote computer if it has a firewall and Win Update disabled?
Saying they could do that is kinda absurd. I know Microsoft has stated publicly that they don’t see people who use their software illegally as a loss in sales or a threat, much different than RIAA point of view, so I am not debating Microsoft’s feelings on general non-profit piracy of their OS, I agree with you on their intentions.
But to say they CAN stop everyone with the flip of a switch is so silly that it makes me feel sorry for you.
Just out of curiosity, how exactly do you plan on configuring that firewall?
“Just out of curiosity, how exactly do you plan on configuring that firewall?”
Nobody ‘plans’ on configuring a firewall. You, however, are an incompetent moron.
Your false curiosity is out of place, malgre.
Very true mRuss. I try to buy as much of my software as I can because of that very reason. Even if the game is crappy, but I can tell they cared to make something in a hostile environment (Like Madworld and The Conduit on the Wii), I try to buy them anyway just because I want them to see that people want more of these games.
I also shudder to think what a billion dollars in the hands of companies who wouldn’t spend that money back into their company would do with it. Maybe draft and lobby for DMCA 2.0.