Twenty-six percent of China's software illegal
(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-05-15 09:33 A government-backed
investigation has found that 26 per cent of the software packages installed on
computers throughout the country in 2005 were illegal, pirated copies.
That figure jumps to 66 per cent if free and open-source software products
are excluded from the calculations.
Independent consulting company
chinalabs.com conducted the investigation. The research report has been approved
in principle by the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO), which entrusted
the company to carry out the project.
The report marks the first time
China has publicized the results of investigations into software piracy
rates. The only sources available to the public up to this point have been
from US-based Business Software Alliance, which estimated China's piracy rate at
about 90 per cent in 2005.
(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)
|
