The Business Software Alliance has produced its 2011 Global Software Piracy Study, which states that 57% of personal computer users have used pirated software, and that the net rate of software piracy is 42%. It finds that the piracy rate in emerging markets is far higher than that of high income countries (68% versus 24%).
The report also shows piracy rates and the commercial value of licensed software in 33 individual countries, which together represent 82% of the world computer market. (Michael Geist notes that it shows piracy is falling in Canada faster than any other country.) The piracy rate is calculated by the number of unlicensed software units by total software units installed. The commercial value of licensed software is calculated by multiplying the number of unlicensed units installed by the average software unit price – a methodology that has been criticized in the past because it assumes price-sensitive consumers will purchase software at prices that are higher than much of the market will bear. For more on the methodology problems, see chapter 1 of Media Piracy in Emerging Markets, published by the Social Science Research Council, edited by Joe Karaganis.
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