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afrol News, 10 June - Software piracy is increasing globally, and the trend is also noted in Africa, where half of the software distributed is unlicensed. The "worst" African pirates are found in Kenya and Nigeria, a new global study shows. South Africa has the lowest pricay rate. Of all software found in Kenya, only 23 percent is licenced, according to the annual report by the Business Software Alliance's (BSA). The remaining software are pirate copies. Nigeria follows with a 71 percent sowtware piracy rate. Kenya and Nigeria, with the highest piracy rates in Africa, are however significantly above the African average piracy rate of 53 percent in 2001. The continent saw only a small increase in piracy, from 52 percent in 2000, the study holds. South Africa, the largest economy in the region, had the continent's lowest rate, at 38 percent. BSA estimates that software piracy in Africa has a cost of nearly US$ 284 million. This is however little compared to the estimated global losses of US$10.97 billion in 2001 and is related to the limited computer use on the continent. Further, the highest piracy rates are found outside Africa, Eastern Europe as a region having a piracy rate of 67 percent. In Vietnam and China, software piracy is close to universal, at 94 and 92 percent respectively. Robert Holleyman, president of BSA, says the rise in software piracy around the globe "is an alarming trend." He adds that "BSA is committed to working with governments, companies and law enforcement agencies around the world to turn this trend around now." BSA is an industry watchdog group representing the world's leading software manufacturers.
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