Unlicensed software use fell again in 2015, finds BSA

UK, EU and global rates all tumble thanks to rise of cloud, software asset management and increase in legal settlements

The use of unlicensed software in the UK is continuing to fall steadily, according to the latest biannual Business Software Alliance (BSA) study, with the growth of cloud and rising vendor enforcement activity cited as among the key drivers.

The unlicensed software rate stood at 22 per cent in the UK in 2015, according to the research, which was carried out by IDC, down from 24 per cent in 2013, 26 per cent in 2011 and 27 per cent in 2009.

The global rate tumbled from 43 to 39 per cent, while the EU-wide rate fell two percentage points to 29 per cent, the study found.

Zimbabwe and Libya took the dubious honour of having the joint highest rate globally, at 90 per cent apiece, while the US boasted the lowest, at 17 per cent, ahead of Japan on 18 per cent.

The increasing market for cloud subscriptions and growing software asset management (SAM) adoption were partly behind the UK drop, said the BSA, an anti-software piracy body whose members include Microsoft, Adobe and Autodesk.

"These market trends were coupled with an increase in the number of legal settlements with UK companies found using unlicensed software," it stated.

"In addition, both BSA and the software industry have been working harder than ever to drive licence compliance and educate companies on the benefits of adopting effective SAM measures and using licensed software in the region."

According to the BSA, the commercial value of unlicensed software in the UK is the second highest in Europe, at £1.3bn, behind only France, at £1.4bn.

The UK unlicensed rate is equal to Germany but significantly better than France (34 per cent) and Spain (44 per cent), found the research, which quizzed 20,000 home and enterprise PC users, as well as 2,200 IT managers globally.

Luxembourg (19 per cent), Austria (21 per cent) and Sweden (21 per cent) were the only European countries with a lower piracy rate than the UK, but BSA CEO Victoria Espinel said the UK rate remains "higher than we would like".

"Companies in the UK are continuing to put themselves at risk, despite the dangers of using unlicensed software," she said.