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South Africa’s Unlicensed Software Comes With $385 Million Price Tag

South Africa’s Unlicensed Software Comes With $385 Million Price Tag

From IT News Africa

A global software survey conducted by Business Software Alliance (BSA), in partnership with International Data Corporation (IDC), revealed that unlicensed software was installed on more than 43% of global PCs in 2013 rounding off to a commercial value of $62.7 billion.

BSA’s global software survey found that the unlicensed software rate in South Africa was at 34%, which is 1% down from the 35% recorded in 2011. The commercial value of unlicensed software in SA in 2013 stood at $385 million (R4.08 billion), which was down from the staggering $564 million recorded in 2011.

South Africa’s unlicensed software installation rate was the lowest in Africa, which meant that countries like Egypt (62%), Nigeria (81%), Kenya (78%), and Tunisia (75%) held the highest rates of unlicensed software.

According to the BSA report, emerging markets now account for a 56% of all PCs in use globally — and nearly three-quarters of all unlicensed software installations (73%).

“That trend is likely to continue, as this year’s study found that 65% of the PC software installed in emerging economies was not properly licensed, versus 23% in developed economies,” BSA said.

Read more at IT Web Africa