Latvia, Legislation, Technology

The study, carried out by International Data Corporation (IDC), ranks 110 countries of the world according to their software piracy rates. Software piracy decreased in a half of the surveyed countries, and increased in 15% of the countries. The Latvian IT industry sustained a loss of LVL 15 million from software piracy last year.

BSA Latvian offices' head Valdis Birkavs points out that active work must continue in Latvia to further reduce software piracy. It is particularly important at a time of economic instability that use of pirated software does not increase, as it would have a negative effect on the business environment, as well as consumers and the entire economy, said Birkavs.

The software piracy rate in Latvia was at 57% in 2003, 58% in 2004, 57% in 2005, in 2006 the software piracy rate in Latvia decreased to 56% and has not changed since, regardless of the rapidly increasing number of computer users and private computers.

BSA emphasizes that software piracy affects not only IT industry enterprises. According to an IDC study published in January 2008, reducing software piracy 10% would create 2000 new jobs, whereas budget revenue would increase LVL 5.5 million.

The global average of unlicensed software worsened to 41% in 2008 from 38% the previous year, causing losses of almost USD 53 billion, the study said.

Central and eastern Europe had the world's highest software piracy rate last year with an average 66%: the highest rates were recorded in Georgia – 95%, Armenia – 92%, Moldova and Azerbaijan – 90%, and the lowest rates in the Czech Republic – 38%, Hungary – 42% and Slovakia – 43%. Software piracy rate in Russia was 68%.

BSA offices in Latvia were established in 2001, they represent 28 local software producers and distributors.