Bulgaria with Highest Piracy Rates in the EU

According to the most recent Business Software Alliance (BSA) and International Data Corporation (IDC) global piracy report, published in May 2009, Bulgaria has the highest rate of illegal software and music downloads in the EU.

Romania, Greece, Latvia, Poland, Estonia and Cyprus follow with a slightly smaller percentage of illegal software use. In Bulgaria the piracy rate is 68%, followed by Romania 66% and Greece 57%. Latvia and Poland share the fourth place with 56%, while Estonia and Cyprus share the fifth place with a 50% piracy rate.

These piracy rates are high in comparison to other EU countries such as Slovenia, Slovakia or the Czech Republic, which have rates of 47%, 43% and 38% respectively, as well as Austria (24%) and Luxembourg (21%), and it is evident that the top five countries need stronger measures against piracy.

The report also shows the losses each country has incurred in 2008 because of high piracy rates. Poland software producers have lost around USD 648 million (EUR 472 million), Romanian USD 249 million (EUR 181 million) and Greek USD 238 million (EUR 173 million).

The Polish police handle about 5,000 proceedings related to the use of illegal software every year. The ministry of internal affairs is working on a new law that is supposed to facilitate the fight against Internet piracy and harmonize Polish regulations with the EU law.

According to the report, other EU countries, such as the Czech Republic and Hungary, have adopted law amendments and established special bodies to suppress piracy and other IPR violations.

For more information, please contact Masa Lopicic in our Balkan Regional Office.

Source: The News From Poland – Polish Radio Online; BSA statistics