The Government Has Lost The Battle

FAST IiS, the not-for-profit organisation promoting the legitimate use of software, today announced the shocking results of the second, most extensive UK software piracy channel business survey yet undertaken.

The stand out result is the lack of faith business leaders have in the Government’s ability to tackle the problems of software piracy and the low awareness business have of the Government’s intellectual property plans covering software and digital issues.

67 percent of the 316 business directors surveyed believed that it was very easy to secure unlicensed software via the internet or peer-to-peer file sharing sites. 94 percent believe that it is simple to acquire software this way, 54 percent would turn to their internet search engine to look for counterfeit software.

The Government’s response to the problem of software theft, the Digital Britain report, was virtually unknown with 77 percent of respondents unaware of its existence. A further 59 percent remain unaware of the proposed Digital Rights Agency, and of those that had heard of it, 60% believed the new quango would be ineffective.

51 percent of businesses also believe the amount of unlicensed software in use in the UK is over 40 percent – from which can be inferred that many would consider cutting corners with their software estate, running the risk of failing compliance standards, facing large settlements with vendors and using unofficial copies laden with malware.

What’s more, an astounding 68 percent of company directors surveyed at the recent channel trade show believed that companies would try to cut costs by under-licensing their software due to the current economic downturn.

The Government is not tackling the costly issue of online software piracy and it is clear that last years’ Gowers Review into intellectual property is not being taken seriously as businesses remain spectacularly unaware of it’s recommendations.

FAST IiS encourages the Government to put in place an effective enforcement regime that treats online theft with the same severity as physical world theft in order to bring order to a lawless marketplace.

As Chief Executive John Lovelock says, “the software industry is a vital part of the economy and deserves the same protection from online theft as counterfeit consumer goods. Knockoff handbags sold on online auction sites get the attention of the courts, but software, a high value contributor to the UK’s GDP doesn’t seem to warrant the same protection under current laws. Enough is enough, theft is theft whether a handbag or a computer program is stolen and it’s time the laws of the land reflected this.”