Ahoy there pirates

I have just been to a very interesting round table hosted by IDC and the Business Software Alliance.

The 2008 UK software piracy rate increased to 27 per cent - up 0.04 per cent on 2007. But this equates to a loss of over £1.4bn to the UK economy.

This is down to a mix of an expanding market and also a lack of education among both businesses and consumers.

However it means that one in four pieces of software being used in the UK is illegal which is pretty worrying.

One of the points raised was that businesses need to implement a proper software policy and make it as important as a HR policy or health and safety policy would be. By educating people at work, it would make them more aware as a consumer the theory goes.

According to a solicitor at the event, businesses using the excuse that they were 'unaware' of flouting the law will not wash either.

The way the panel was talking today, it seems like things are going to get tougher for the pirates, but I think they have escaped walking the plank for a little while longer.