Piracy costing UK ?1bn in lost tax

[zatoicchi]

The Business Software Alliance (BSA) claims that reducing software piracy by 37 per cent could generate 13,220 new high paying jobs, recoup ?1.08bn in tax revenues and contribute ?4.46bn to the UK economy.

The research, conducted by analyst firm IDC, illustrates the role of the IT industry as a contributor to jobs, tax revenues and GDP, according to the BSA.

Britain's IT sector will be a ?52.1bn industry by 2011, supporting nearly 638,000 jobs and generating ?32.5bn in tax each year, the report found.

However, the BSA argues that these forecasts could be improved significantly if piracy is adequately addressed.

Piracy costing UK 1bn in lost tax

[Manas]

I don't believe in statements like that. The industry always moans about piracy and the huge damages it brings but isn't it impossible to calculate the actual damage from piracy?

For example: If I download a movie which I don't want to see in the cinema- is it a loss then or not? I'd rather say it isn't because I wouldn't have gone to the cinema anyway.

I think these high numbers only exist because industry wants to justify their actions against piracy...

[Aurion]

u know what I got sick of those stupid lies !! This is way LAME how would music piracy ever contribute in increasing job vacancies & GDP ?? the amounts of cash lost due to piracy is something inconstant !! I mean people (lets imagine we dont have p2p arleady ) would spend those lost amounts on purchasing new releases from music records & so !! then how come,the government would have acquired extra incomes to override losses caused by music piracy ??

[anon]

I don't believe in statements like that. The industry always moans about piracy and the huge damages it brings but isn't it impossible to calculate the actual damage from piracy?

For example: If I download a movie which I don't want to see in the cinema- is it a loss then or not? I'd rather say it isn't because I wouldn't have gone to the cinema anyway.

Exactly what I think too. They always say piracy makes them lose, lose & lose money, but when you think about it, they just don't make more of it. If you download a cracked program (because, for example, it doesn't have a demo/trial, or it is very restricted), then see it wasn't what you needed and delete it, it is piracy; but the program's developers, by definition, didn't lose any money, just didn't earn what they would have. But if you had bought the full version, then trashed it because it still wasn't what you needed: we could even say you lose money instead...

I think these high numbers only exist because industry wants to justify their actions against piracy...

For them it's easy to transform some lies into big flashy, dramatic sounding numbers

Just my opinion as always ... I agree with your post

[Aurion]

good point there guys !! I guess their what so called "Products Piracy" is derived from the Idea of cracks/patchs since their first appearance was a shock for them,so they wanted to compensate their losses by launching a new anti p2p campaign just to cash back their yet-to-earn products prices they already made !! Anyway,IMO people wont submit to those silly decisions since most of thei loyal customers already hated what happened & began to use those posted cracks around the web as they increase rapidly every day !!