Survey Reveals That More Than Half of PC Users are Pirates

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hoenstly these figures are all totall bull , any time some one is talking avaerages it's a smoke screen of horse cr-p , the thing is is averages for any poll is taken from just a lice of a given population. so even the individual country averages are an inaccurate representation.
 
[citation][nom]mobrocket[/nom]if they are considered developing, what are we in the US[/citation]

Have you ever seen the countryside in China? You know the places besides Beijing and Shanghai and other major cities. They're poor and hungry. A little different from the "poor" people in the US who weigh twice as much as a normal person.
 
I normally buy all my software, but there are times that there is no other option.
I was looking for years for an old game from the late 90's which I own the rest of the series...
TWICE! because first I bout them separate and later on a special edition that included all 4 games.

Then later they added another title but for whatever reason I was not able to buy it at the time, then when I look for it, it was not available anywhere, not in-stores, not online, not anywhere.

years later I tried to look for a copy online, when I finally found it online it was way overpriced, like 20 times what it would have normally cost me then, NEW.

Kept looking and somehow I manage to get it somewhere as a free download, to my surprised it worked.
Now I finally have the complete series.

If I would have found it at the normal price I would have bought it just like I did with the rest of the series.
 
[nom]icepick314[/nom]

>isn't that kinda given as a PC user?
What, that many are criminals?

>...not to mention not EVERY software is available globally due to artificial regional borders and lockdowns...
Which is the choice of the producers (them being the ones who own the material)

>stop blaming the "pirates"...if you make it easier and better than hassle of locating torrent or finding cracks or serial keys along with possible virus/worm hacked files, then people WILL buy your software...
...except that they would have to pay for it, and they do not want to, so instead, they steal it

 
[citation][nom]mobrocket[/nom]if they are considered developing, what are we in the US[/citation]
Devleoped. China is still building up its infrastructure, and so far has been cutting every corner they can, resulting in thousands of deaths when it inevitably fails (like their high speed trains). Huge portions of the country are little more than backwoods villages.

Hong Kong is not representative of China. It's the good face they put on for foreigners.
 
US = 19% = $9.8B
China = 77% = $8.9B

So basically... here in the US we are being raped by the software companies in order of magnitudes and somehow we are the criminals. I have from time to time "borrowed" an application, or song, or movie, or tv show. However, if I like it I buy it (once it's price has dropped to a reasonable range). I just don't understand how they determine the prices they come up with. For example, a new Blu-ray is $30ish. Usually it come with the DVD and Digital copy also. Are those really value adds? Is the fact that I have to suffer through tons of adds and previews and menus just to watch the movie I just shelled out a ton of money on a value add? My opinion is NO! In my eyes "pirating" = free advertising/marketing.
 
[citation][nom]Maxor127[/nom]they can't afford it so they wouldn't have bought it anyways, 3) the value of the software was $0 to them[/citation]

I think that's these are the real problems. First it's that people feel that they're allowed to pirate something they can't afford. Sure, this might not directly affect the seller of the particular software, but it certainly affects the market. Instead of buying lower cost indie or older games which they can afford, people pirate the latest AAA blockbusters. Instead of buying an alternate and cheaper office suite, people pirate MS Office. In that they help ruin the alternate market.

The second point is value. I saw a survey once (too lazy to search for it now) which showed what value people who pirate place on various products the can pirate. It ranges from $0 to some very low prices, like $1 for a CD of music, $2 for a movie, things like that. Those who put the value of $0 said they'll pirate regardless of the price, and IIRC they were about 33% of the people. But even for the others, the prices are so low that nobody is going to sell to them at these prices.

I'm not saying that the RIAA and such are clean and right in their claims, but people who pirate or excuse piracy are just making excuses for their self entitlement.
 
Goes to show you that the vast majority of piracy is actually based on wealth or rather the lack of.
This really puts a dent in the argument that piracy = loss of sale as the largest %'s are in places where the average person could never afford the software they pirate.
 
[citation][nom]jeverson[/nom]...I just don't understand how they determine the prices they come up with...[/citation]
3 words: Supply and demand.
The game and media outlets are businesses. It's a free market. Pay or don't play. If enough people didn't pay, the price would go down. Obviously people do pay. To steal something because value it (you really want it: think it has a high value), and at the same time don't think it has a high value, makes no sense. It's simple criminal activity.
 
[citation][nom]psychobob[/nom]With such a high piracy rate, it's hard to imagine how the software industry can thrive at all and make billions. Perhaps the Business Software Alliance just needs justify to its funding and existence with dubious surveys.[/citation]

Its the same reason stores tend to charge more to make up for shoplifters. If someone steals their product they have to increase price across the board to make up for that loss and maintain profitability.
 
My recollection of how BSA calculates software piracy numbers:
1) survey end users to figure out how many applications people have installed
2) survey end users to figure out how many applications people paid for
3) survey businesses to figure out how much an application costs
4) assume every application end users have installed but didn't pay for is a lost sale of the average application cost

I don't personally pirate any software. With all the open source and freeware out there, it's too easy to stay legal. But that means of the dozens of applications I have installed, they all count as pirated according to BSA math.
 
Little civics lesson, China likely wouldn't be called a developing nation by many in the government here in the US for diplomatic reasons. However, China does exhibit many of the hallmarks of a developing nation. A vast majority of its people are very poor, live in rural and agrarian communities, and in general have limited access to education.

As for the piracy part... yes, it should be no surprise that the rate of piracy will be greater in poorer nations than wealthier nations. The population with more money is going to be less up-in-arms about paying for something they can afford. The chief reason for piracy is lack of access, predomninantly caused by an inability to afford the product. That being said, it is also obvious that the net total dollars is going ot be higher in a place like the US than a developing nation because those in developing nations are going to be more focused on more immediately helpful products and something that their comparatively lower speced hardware can run. They're not going to go ripping tons of American music they don't really care about or understand. Compare that to a developed nation where you will have more people borth ripping and buiying ripped copies of high end program like the Adobe software suite, or music an movies.

Like any crime the key to solving piracy is to tackle its cause. Yes, there will be those knuckleheads and idiots who will always pirate anyway and make up ridiculous excuses, but most piracy can be tackled by diussuassion (criminal prosecution, etc.), and more importantly by improving the economic framework (either raising more people to a competent living wage, and/or dropping the price of products).

In the meantime people have to stop pretending it's okay to pirate just becasue they think the price is too high or they swear they'll pay for a legitamate copy and delete the pirated one. As unfair or unsavory as one may think the cost of anything is, that doesn't give anyone the right to steal it. It's not life or death. Not being able to play some game, or listen to some song whenever you want, or see some movie, is not sufficient cause to steal it. Grow up. Learn to contain your urges and desires. I am sympathetic to the fact that people are squeezed at all sides every day. My family of four runs on a little more than $50,000 a year, I get it that there isn't always enough money for everything you need, let alone everything you want. But you don't steal what you can't get, period.
 
I have pirated sw/music/movies in the past. I mostly purchase now.

When OS was $300, I pirated. When OS dropped to 3 pack for $100, I purchased.
Over time, I have purchased disc management software, movie creation software, photograph editing software, etc. I used to pirate these. When I could purchase them at a decent price, I purchased. When they offer upgrades at substantial discount, I upgrade.
When there were no freebie disc burning software, I pirated. When the freebies came out, I used them.
I rip my CDs to mp3.
I get a Netflix DVD, rip it, and send it back. I watch the ripped movie when I get more time.

I think I am a normal user. I pay for the vast majority of my software, and I do some activities that would be considered (by the mpaa or riaa) to be pirating. But ceasing these activities would not result in a dimes difference to the bottom line of anyone, anywhere.
 
[citation][nom]ET3D[/nom]I think that's these are the real problems. First it's that people feel that they're allowed to pirate something they can't afford. Sure, this might not directly affect the seller of the particular software, but it certainly affects the market. Instead of buying lower cost indie or older games which they can afford, people pirate the latest AAA blockbusters. Instead of buying an alternate and cheaper office suite, people pirate MS Office. In that they help ruin the alternate market.The second point is value. I saw a survey once (too lazy to search for it now) which showed what value people who pirate place on various products the can pirate. It ranges from $0 to some very low prices, like $1 for a CD of music, $2 for a movie, things like that. Those who put the value of $0 said they'll pirate regardless of the price, and IIRC they were about 33% of the people. But even for the others, the prices are so low that nobody is going to sell to them at these prices.I'm not saying that the RIAA and such are clean and right in their claims, but people who pirate or excuse piracy are just making excuses for their self entitlement.[/citation]

i love your office example...
everyone uses office, to the point that if you dont, you are screwed. microsoft has you by the balls, and you know it. even the better options are barely compatibe with office. you tell your teacher you use software other than office and need to install it, little brother did that, know what he got... an F.

[citation][nom]lamorpa[/nom]3 words: Supply and demand.The game and media outlets are businesses. It's a free market. Pay or don't play. If enough people didn't pay, the price would go down. Obviously people do pay. To steal something because value it (you really want it: think it has a high value), and at the same time don't think it has a high value, makes no sense. It's simple criminal activity.[/citation]

if enough people dont play, they refuse to make that style of game again, and dont reduce price.

corperations dont learn and never thing they have to adapt to stay in the game.

[citation][nom]webbwbb[/nom]Its the same reason stores tend to charge more to make up for shoplifters. If someone steals their product they have to increase price across the board to make up for that loss and maintain profitability.[/citation]

no, they charge more not because of losses, but because of business. they have to buy the lisensces, and you can charge them whatever you want.

adobe photoshop, im betting everyone has a copy or knows someone with one, but how many of them bought it...

piracy is also the only reason photoshop is the standard.
 
If people couldn't afford it in the first place it's not exactly a loss sale. Wish the argument that "1 pirate dl = 1 lost sale" would end already. Usually when I pirate a game it's usually because no demo or trial is available and if I'm unsure I'd like the game I'm not gonna waste my money. Most of the times I end up uninstalling the pirated game after playing it a few hours and never finish it because I didn't like it. That's not exactly a loss sale is it? If I had no option to pirate or demo I would never consider buying a game I'm not sure of. Sure people who do this are a minority in comparison to those who pirate regardless of whether they can afford or not and those who can't afford no matter what, but these agencies should stop exaggerating. Focus their data on the group who have the money but pirate endlessly. These agencies purposely skew the data to sell their aggressive agendas like sopa, acta, etc
 
"4) they already own it and for whatever reason either out of convenience or necessity, they pirated a copy."

Im definaty guilty there, drm won't allow me to backup my own purchased software/movies and that is allowable by the laws here so it requires me to break a law just to excersies the freedom given by another law - Its insanity! Would be fun to put a company that uses excessive drm to trial for denying me the rights to do the legal backups!
 
PIRATED SOFTWARE is not a lost sale, it is ridiculous to assume that all of the millions of people in India and china (and most other countries) are CHOOSING not to purchase software. In many cases people cannot afford the software in the first place (hmm-mm food for a month or Diablo 3), even in Canada I see people who REFUSE to even consider paying for a new OS, they use XP or bought Vista and felt they didn't NEED to spend another $100-$200 just to surf the net, however now that support has ended for Vista and XP what are these customers to do, fork over more hard earned cash for another over-hyped unneeded upgrade.

Rant over
Fungi
 
ok software industry, we wont pirate anymore if you cut your retail shelf prices by 50% AND institute a 90-day no-questions-asked 100% money back guarantee on every line of code. Hmm...didn't think you'd go for that either. Pirate on! Yaaaaaaaaar.
 
Just curious, about the statistic. If I buy 90% of my SW, do they count me as pirate? If so, than in the country where every user has bought 90% of his SW is piracy rate 100%.

But real piracy is just 10%. I bet they use the one that suits them better ...
 
I try, I like...then I will buy. But don't charge me $60 for a 4 hour game. Don't charge me $30 for a dvd that is 5 years old. Don't charge me $300 for a software that I can find free and it does same things only need a plug in or two for extra features. I admit I pirate to test not to sell or distribute...So If I walk into dealership say "I would like to test drive that car" and sales person says "no, buy or get out." I see a friend with same car so I test drive his/hers to see whats its like cops are going to pull me over and say "Hey BMW is suing you and your under arrest for driving there car before buying it!"???

Sorry if its confusing trying to make an example
 
[citation][nom]XmortisX[/nom]I try, I like...then I will buy. But don't charge me $60 for a 4 hour game. Don't charge me $30 for a dvd that is 5 years old. Don't charge me $300 for a software that I can find free and it does same things only need a plug in or two for extra features. I admit I pirate to test not to sell or distribute...So If I walk into dealership say "I would like to test drive that car" and sales person says "no, buy or get out." I see a friend with same car so I test drive his/hers to see whats its like cops are going to pull me over and say "Hey BMW is suing you and your under arrest for driving there car before buying it!"???Sorry if its confusing trying to make an example[/citation]
i definitely see what you are trying to say...with software is a little different...people can say that they were just trying out the software, but how do you know that the the software is not still installed on the computer once they return the original to the store?....and we all know how easy it is to get around trial keys :)
 
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