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Reducing India's piracy rate by 10 points over a four-year period could create 50,000 high-wage jobs and increase local revenues by more than $1.6 billion.

New Delhi , April 26

WITH the software piracy level in India far exceeding the worldwide average of 36 per cent, the National Association of Software and Services Association (Nasscom) on Tuesday called for the establishment of fast track special courts to deal with piracy-related cases.

"According to a study, the piracy level in India is close to 73 per cent, which is quite high. The worldwide average is about 36 per cent and in case of countries such as the US and Canada, it is at 23 per cent," the Nasscom President, Mr Kiran Karnik, said at a conference to announce the Nasscom-Business Software Alliance (BSA) hotline to check software piracy. He said the need for such courts was driven by the need of specialised knowledge in intellectual property (IP) and patent infringement cases, and added such courts could also hear cases related to counterfeit drugs.

As per the BSA, India ranks 20 in global software piracy rankings, with a rate of 73 per cent while the Asia Pacific average is 53 per cent. China ranks second with a rate of 92 per cent and annual losses of $3,823 million while Pakistan ranks nine with 83 per cent piracy rate.

Speaking on the occasion, the Science and Technology Minister, Mr Kapil Sibal, voiced concerns over the high rate of software piracy and asked companies to opt for differential pricing of products to check the same.

"It is important to protect the intellectual property and differential pricing is one way to deal with the issue. Companies should `price to market'," he said.

The BSA Vice-President, Mr Jeffrey Hardee, said reducing India's piracy rate by 10 points over a four-year period could create 50,000 high-wage jobs and increase local revenues by more than $1.6 billion.

Nasscom and the BSA said consumers can report underlicencing or illegal use of software at toll-free number: 1600 11 0033 or through www.bsa.org/India.

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