Polish software piracy on the increase

The number of instances of illegal use of software by Polish companies reported to the Business Software Alliance (BSA) has increased threefold over the last three years, the Polish media reported on March 14.

“The number of indemnities has decreased but their value is now higher,”Bartlomiej Witucki, coordinator of the BSA in Poland, told Polish daily Puls Biznesu.

The value of the indemnities in the aftermath of reports to the BSA totalled PLN 1.6 mln in 2013, compared to PLN 1.3 mln in 2012, so the tendency is increasing. On top of that, the number of reports to the BSA increased from 482 in 2011 to 637 in 2012 and to 771 in 2013.

Specialists attribute this change to the sociological changes in the perception of the concept of reporting, which is no longer viewed by the young Poles as something negative.

The illegal use of unlicensed software gets reported invariably tender competitors, especially when the culprit’s tender offer is significantly lower than that of a tender bidder.

Likewise, ex-employees often report pirated software to avenge a dismissal by reporting the ex-employer. Additionally, there is an increasing number of current employees among those who denounce their employers – simply because they do not want to be held responsible themselves for using illegal software and software piracy.