Over 25% of UK Software in Use is Pirated

Just to level the playing field a bit, I don't have a single piece of pirated software and never have done. Infact I have a pet hate of people who go around posting screenshots of their desktop filled to the brim with icons for expensive software, or people who post on forums asking how to do the most menial tasks with said software. If you've pulled together £500-1000 for a professional graphics package, chances are you're going to know how to save an image as a jpeg. And the people who then go and complain about how rubbish the software is? :rolleyes:

The figures do surprise me though. There's no real way to work out what percentage of installed software was pirated, and personally I think the figure should be closer to 10%, if that. I don't know, maybe I think everyone's more honest than they are... ;)
 
Not surprised tbh. Including old games and stuff i don't know a single person that legally owns all of their software :o
 
Last edited:
I think that its nice to be able to try before you buy, especially when most software is expensive. To me its like a statement that they are sure you will like it.
One thing that really bugs me is when Mr software leach moans that a software company has gone broke and that great bit of software they did has been bought out by Symantec etc. Can't these people see that they are the cause of the demise of good software? If you want free software theres plenty around on the internet, without having to steal it.
 
I try and find free alternatives to most expensive software, if it's a good bit of shareware then I'll pay the money as it's often <$20 which is nothing really. I'd feel bad about screwing a single developer or a small team but I don't care so much about big companies e.g. Microsoft, Fox etc... they all get paid at the end of the day.


Interestingly I don't think Macromedia and Adobe care that much about piracy. My brother, who is doing a degree in digital arts had a lecture from someone who works at Macromedia and he asked the class who has pirate copies of Flash, Dreamweaver etc and most of them did but he said they don't really mind, as it'll be them who in the future will choose that software for their businesses. He also said that he appreciates the fact that it their software is expensive, especially for students.
 
I am quite surprised it is that low I deal with loads of people who want PCs but when you say the computer will cost £400 and you need to spend an addititional £100+ on an operating system/works/paint shop pro most people are put off. They all want it as cheap as possible.
 
Software's expensive especially the good ones! Like, I've never understood why Windows or Office is expensive considering how many people around the world use/train/etc on it!

Glad to see shareware/freeware (Open source) software nowdays is quite decent if not good :)
 
Last edited:
It is often not just the initial cost of the software but there are two other ongoing factors, support costs and activation. For instance, I have some specialist structural engineering software that I use daily, it cost £2500 to buy but the support for it, which is fairly essential because of building code changes etc., is £900 pa. :eek: If you tell them that you don't want to upgrade then next year you have to pay almost for a whole new license to catch up.

My other pet hate is activation, I use another piece of software that I have always kept up to date with, religiously buying the upgrade every year because I like it and the new features are good. However, one year, without warning they intoduced activation and not the reasonably benign M$ type but the C_Dilla 1.2mb spying file type. If you then try to reactivate because of a rebuild or something then you have to call them up, during office hours, and get the third degree. Tossers. In the end I went back to using my pre-activation license and told them I will never upgrade until they remove activation, thereby them losing one revenue stream.
 
Last edited:
Duouk2000 said:
Not surprised tbh. Including old games and stuff i don't know a single person that legally owns all of their software :o
Click to expand...

Hi,
My names Paul - I'm an IT Manager.
I've got a few PC's at home - My main system, my fiancee's PC and a laptop we both use - all three of those are Windows XP based, have MS Office and the like.
I've also got my Linux web server.

There, introductions over - you do now.
 
Well Stoofa good on you mate. I like to think all my software on my PC is 100% paid for and legit.

Although when i rip my original music collection onto my computer to use wirelessly around the home, I believe that is a gray area ?

and as for Limewire, I never use it ;)
 
stoofa said:
Hi,
My names Paul - I'm an IT Manager.
I've got a few PC's at home - My main system, my fiancee's PC and a laptop we both use - all three of those are Windows XP based, have MS Office and the like.
I've also got my Linux web server.

There, introductions over - you do now.
Click to expand...

Names Andrew, i'm a student and have three pcs at home. The main one with xp home, old one with win 98 and family one with ubuntu. Don't own Office or any of that stuff and apart from old games like sonic and ultima underworld all of my software is legit (though in the past this was not the case and i have had photoshop more than a few times).
 
LoadsaMoney said:
Have to agree with others that is low, surely its a lot higher than that.
Click to expand...
they probably asked loads of people comming out of "whats a PC?" and said "have you any illigal software installed on that? no, ok!"
 
Magic_x_uk said:
Well Stoofa good on you mate. I like to think all my software on my PC is 100% paid for and legit.

Although when i rip my original music collection onto my computer to use wirelessly around the home, I believe that is a gray area ?

and as for Limewire, I never use it ;)
Click to expand...

Oh indeed.
I feel that the majority of things are black & white.
When it comes to computer software I feel there are very few "grey areas" so to speak.
Either you paid for your software or you didn't.
If you didn't there really is no way you can justify it - you are using it, you didn't pay for it in my eyes you're a thieving scumbag (not aimed at anyone in particular - just using a generic you're).

When it comes to the "Fair Use" of music and video.
I'm still against piracy of music & video.
Once again, if you haven't paid for your music then you shouldn't have it.
However if you have I do feel that once you've bought it you should be able to do what you like with it - with the exception of distributing or broadcasting it "outside of your home" or on equipment you own.

I see piracy purely as somebody using music, video or software that costs money and they have decided not to buy it but instead take it.
Getting around anti-piracy measures so that I can listen to an MP3 on more than one computer - now according to the RIAA that is black & white, I do take a much more "grey" view on that.
 
I'm surprised. Nearly everyone in my school uses Limewire to download stuff (Music and DVDs mostly) but I know around 10 friends whos software is entirely pirate (XP, and all programs) :eek: . When I tell them the risks it's aways "Well everyone elses uses it" :p
 
dmpoole said:
A spokesperson for the Alliance said: "This is a serious issue.”
Click to expand...

I agree if businesses use pirated software that is bad, but I wouldn't feel too badly if a non-profit organisation was caught using it or the average home user.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom