Play Fair Day is part of Microsoft
21 November 2011
Play Fair Day is part of Microsoft’s ongoing campaign to educate consumers, businesses and software users worldwide about the harmful aspects of software piracy. Play Fair Day applauds those companies that choose to stand up and play fair in a sea of competitors using illegal software. Playing fair has a positive impact on the global economy. It fuels innovation, creates jobs and promotes a healthy, competitive business landscape.
Manufacturing companies in Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) that choose to use illegal software steal more than $1.6 billion (U.S.) from their in-market competitors that opt to play fair by using genuine software.
Microsoft Corp. released the findings of a first-of-its-kind study that tackles the financial impact using illegal software has on the competitive landscape within developing countries. In support of Play Fair Day, a global initiative to emphasize the importance of using legitimate software, this Microsoft-commissioned study quantifies the anticompetitive harm software piracy inflicts on businesses that play fair.
As part of a study to examine the broader economic impact of software piracy, analysts from Keystone Strategy evaluated the unfair competitive advantage enjoyed by companies that practice widespread piracy. In China, for example, manufacturers that “play fair” with legal, licensed software suffer a competitive disadvantage of about $837 million compared with companies that illegally slash costs and use pirated software. This harm translates into the opportunity for pirating firms to increase profits or reinvest in their businesses. For example, pirating firms can reinvest the $837 million to construct 66 major manufacturing plants, buy 12,700 molding machines for a plastics manufacturer or hire 217,000 additional employees.
10 Tips to Avoid Purchasing Counterfeit Software Online
1. Activation and validation are the keys to genuine software
2. Understand the risks of digital counterfeiting
3. Buy from a trusted source
4. Compare the price.
5. Check the label, package and discs
6. Be careful when shopping the globe
7. Keep your anti-virus software up-to-date
8. Say no to backup software copies.
9. Arm yourself with information about software counterfeiting
10. Report piracy