35% of the software installed on personal computers worldwide was pirated in 2004, a 1% decrease from 36% in 2003, BSA says. Yet, losses due to piracy increased from $29 bln to $33 bln. In 2004, the world spent more than $59 bln on commercial packaged PC software, up from $51 bln in 2003. But over $90 bln was actually installed, up from $80 bln the year before. The increase in losses to $33 bln was, in part, the result of the fact that the PC software market grew over 6% and the US dollar fell against many of the world’s currencies.
Although piracy rates decreased in 37 countries, they increased in 34 countries. They remained consistent in 16 countries. In more than half the 87 countries studied, the piracy rate exceeded 60%. In 24 countries, the piracy rate exceeded 75%. The countries with the highest piracy rates were Vietnam (92%), Ukraine (91%), China (90%), Zimbabwe (90%) and Indonesia (87%). The countries with the lowest piracy rates were the United States (21%), New Zealand (23%), Austria (25%), Sweden (26%), and United Kingdom (27%). The emerging markets in Asia Pacific, Latin America, Eastern Europe and the Middle East and Africa account for over one-third of PC shipments today, but only a tenth of spending on PC software.