The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has found that 57 percent of the world's PC users freely admit that they are stealing software. Well, sort of.
That number is, of course, the average number of a global survey with national averages that vary greatly by region.
According to the BSA, developing countries have far greater piracy rates than developed nations. For example, the piracy rate in the U.S. is just 19 percent, Germany 26 percent and Australia 23 percent. In contrast, India revealed a piracy rate of 63 percent, China 77 percent, and Kenya 78 percent.
The commercial value of the software pirated in the U.S., however, is $9.8 billion and exceeds all other countries. China's staggering piracy rate result in a commercial pirated software value of $8.9 billion.
The aggregate value of pirated software that was in use in 2011 is estimated at $63.4 billion, up from $58.8 billion in 2010.
People in developing countries go for piracy because of a simple reason: Most of them can not afford to buy it the legal way.
To fight piracy means to do something so that people can afford the softwares.
This explains also the reason why the piracy rate in industrial nations such as Germany, USA, etc. a lot lower than those in developing countries such as India, China, etc. The people are capable of buying the software.
Tell me if you are choose to buy a USD100 legit Windows copy over other more important things if you earn only USD80 a month.
You have even used half of your lifetime saving to buy yourself a computer with such salary.
My parents saved lots of money to buy me a computer (15-20 years ago) so that I can learn to use them during school+college and hoping that I can get a better job. At that time, my dad (he has not even finished highschool) earned only USD90 each month. The PC itself had cost about USD500 (more than 5 time of his salary). I do not know how log he has been saving money for this.
Now after finishing college and even master degree, I have a good job and am capable of buying legit products, thus stop using pirated products.
You can not judge piracy issues with only one eyes opened. See it deeper!
Not all are using pirated products because they simply do not want to spend money on the softwares, sometime, they simply can not afford them.
What % of people pirate software they would for Sure buy if they could not pirate it
ANY other numbers are irrelevant
--- except to give the RIAA etc etc a Huge number to play with as an excuse to sue their own grandmothers
Even then the number of people pirateing things like 3D Studio Max (and other high end Expensive software)... playing + gaining experience and a portfolio Then later get careas based on their free leg up and actually buy those softwares
Without piracy such companies would loose out on a Lot of sales in the long run I believe