As much as 56 percent of all software running on Polish computers is pirated, according to a report by the Business Software Alliance (BSA), an IT industry organization.

Source: Business Software Alliance

“There seems to be a pattern: the richer the country, the lower the level of piracy,” BSA’s Polish representative, Bartłomiej Witucki said at a press conference.

Piracy in Poland last year cost the IT industry an estimated $648 (zł.2,079) million.
The figure is higher than the $538 (zł.2,360) million estimated by the International Intellectual Property Alliance, which also took into account the detrimental effect piracy had on sound recordings and musical compositions, alone estimated at $28 (zł.122.71) million.

Pirated software comes at a price to consumers too, Witucki warned. “Such programs can put the user’s computer at risk to viruses, which might allow the computer to be used by third parties. This could lead to the machine being used for sending spam and hacker attacks,” Witucki said.

According to the BSA report, the proportion of piracy in Poland is falling. Between 2004 and 2008, the percentage of pirated software dropped from 59 percent to the current 56 percent. The impact piracy has had on the IT industry, however, almost doubled in the same period, from $379 million to $648 million.

The organization said that the fall in piracy might stem from the Polish government’s efforts to address the problem.

“In Poland, the patent office has organized anti-piracy conferences, as has the Polish Senate, and law enforcement cracked down on some university-based downloading networks,” the report stated.