‘Indian IT Sector Could Double in Size by 2006’

India’s skilled workforce and strong software industry have helped the

country’s domestic IT industry grow to nearly $5 billion. That total could

more than double to $13 billion by 2006, with a 10-point reduction in its 70%

software piracy rate. Jeffrey Hardee, V-P and regional director (APAC) at BSA,

was in India to release the findings of a global IDC research report on ‘Expanding

Global Economies: The Benefits of Reducing Software Piracy’. Excerpts from an

interview:

l What

is the state of Internet and digital piracy and what steps are being taken to

reduce it?



Internet piracy is growing faster in countries, which have availability of

high bandwidth. We have a product called web crawler, which we have recently

introduced in Asia. It searches for sites, which sell illegal software online.

We inform the ISPs which host such sites and ask them take them down.

l What should the Indian

government do to reduce piracy?



The APAC piracy rate was 54 % in 2001 while that of India was 70 %. So the

government should lend a helping hand in three areas–Policy, awareness and

enforcement. On the policy front, the Indian government needs to upgrade certain

laws and introduce new ones. It should also try to emphasize the importance of

copyright and enforce stricter laws. The top government officials as well as

politicians should go about propagating the uses of using legal software. More

awareness and training programs should be started. Also more efficient courts

and stricter sentences are the need of the hour.

l The IDC report has shown

that piracy has a negative impact on the economy. Can you elaborate?



The IDC study has shown that nations with the highest piracy rates stand to

gain the most from reducing software piracy. For example the study has shown

that cutting India’s piracy rate by another 10 points, to 60 %, by 2006, could

create nearly 50,000 high-tech jobs - more than two-and-a-half times the number

now available in the domestically focused portion of India’s software

industry.

It could also add $2.1 billion to India’s economy and increase local

industry revenues by more than $1.6 billion and could generate an additional $92

million in tax revenues. So, the economic benefits of cutting down piracy rate

are enormous and Indian should look at this seriously. IT is a sizable part of

the Indian economy and any growth in this sector would have a trickle down

effect in the other sectors as well.

l How will a reduction in the

piracy rate impact the R&D scene?



By protecting intellectual property, innovators can be assured that their

hard work can be rewarded in software and service sales. As India is basically a

software exports market, with lower piracy and assurance of returns on new

software, entrepreneurs would start developing software for the local market. So

it would lead to more investment in R&D.

l What are BSA initiatives?



BSA, along with Nasscom, would soon be sending out mailers to 10,000 Indian
companies informing and encouraging them to use legal software. Software Asset

Management seminars would also be held in India. We would also continue our

advertisement and reward campaigns in India. We also conduct training programs

for police, prosecutors, etc. to educate them what piracy is all about and how

to book the culprits.

Pragati Simlote



Cyber News Service