A report by the International Data Corporation (IDC) and Business Software Alliance (BSA) has returned a damning indictment on the state of piracy in Nigeria.
Though the report indicates that economic recession may be pushing up software piracy levels in Nigeria and other developing nations, it has however exposed the ruthless activities of pirates who are profiteering from lax regulation and seemingly uncoordinated attempts to stem the tide.
It is so bad that pirates have dismantled all the structures of the industry and erected in their place organized criminal networks.
Software piracy is the unauthorized copying or distribution of copyrighted software. A copy cannot be the original.
When you purchase software, you are actually purchasing a license to use it, not the actual software.
The license is what tells you how many times you can install the software. If you make more copies of the software than the license permits, you are breaking the law.
Whether you are copying, downloading, sharing, selling, or installing multiple copies of software onto personal or work computers, you are committing software piracy.
In fact, many Nigerians do not know that they risk prosecution and possible jail terms by using unlicensed software.
On the general front, software piracy slows the growth of the ICT sector and deprives government of taxes which accrue from licensed software.
Piracy is not only about software, it is taking food off the tables of talented Nigerian musicians and also destroying the careers of some that could have made a respected contribution to the global music phenomenon.
Lanre Ajayi, president, Nigeria Internet Group, summed up the dangers of piracy when he said that “piracy is a danger to innovation and new development."
In 2008 alone, software piracy cost the software industry 53 billion dollars while in Nigeria the music/nollywood lost more than half of it $ $250million revenue per annum to the mindless unarmed but lethal thieves.
Reducing piracy requires concerted efforts of all including the government, manufactures, artists and the general public.
It is also important to strengthen the existing piracy laws to make piracy less attractive.
Government should consider a blanket ban to the importation of music and video compact discs as a major step towards uprooting piracy.
Major software manufacturers should reduce prices of these ICT to make the illegal trade unattractive.
