Russia took second place for pirated software use, after China, according to an analysis by Business Software Alliance, Vedomosti reported Tuesday, but overall pirating is down.
The cost of the software illegally used worldwide in 2011 reached a record $63.4 billion, the report said. In 2010, that figure was estimated at $58.8 billion.
Among developing countries, the highest piracy rate was in China — 77 percent. Its inhabitants used illegal software worth $9 billion last year, while sales of legitimate software in the country did not exceed $3 billion. China was followed by Russia and India. In India, the piracy rate in 2011 fell 1 percentage point to 63 percent.
The growth is associated with an increased number of personal computers in those countries. Pirated software in those markets amounts to about 68 percent, compared with 24 percent in developed countries.
In Russia, the level of use of pirated software in 2011 was 63 percent, 2 percent lower than in 2010. Sales of licensed software in 2011increased 10 percent. The commercial value of pirated software installed on Russian computers last year was $3.2 billion. Interestingly, 51 percent of Russian pirates are women, while the ratio worldwide is 40 percent.
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