Posts Tagged: "rosetta stone"

Counterfeiting, A Growing Worldwide Problem

Counterfeiting is a far bigger story than loses to big companies and the associated loss of downstream economic activity. Those that support counterfeiters by buying knock-off goods are also increasingly supporting organized crime, including drug cartels, who are increasingly looking to the generous profits that can be earned and exceptionally low jail terms even if they do get caught. In fact, the largest Italian organized crime group is estimated to receive 10% of its annual $25 billion from counterfeited and pirated goods.

One Grave Problem: Counterfeiting, Piracy and IP Theft

Criminals are finding that the penalties for intellectual property crimes pale in comparison to the penalties they would receive for trafficking drugs and engaging in other illicit activities. At the same time, the profit margin for counterfeit software is extremely high. So the combination of great riches, relatively low penalties and a low likelihood of being caught and you can see why criminal enterprises, including terrorist networks, are becoming major players in the counterfeit software black-market. In fact, one of the most vicious drug cartels in the world makes an estimated $2.4 million per day selling counterfeit software.

Culture of Indifference Fuels Software Piracy Market

The reality is that individuals and companies fuel the piracy market. Simply stated, if there were no demand there would be no supply, so it is quite disingenuous for us to only point the finger at the supplier, but rather we ought to acknowledge that there is plenty of blame to go around, which may be a hard pill to swallow. And while there may an intellectual distinction between sharing software or music with a friend or family member, there exists a cultural indifference that borders on contempt for the rights of creators.