Piracy in Colombia remained at 55% despite efforts to reduce it according to a report by the company Business Software Alliance (BSA).
According to Caracol Radio, BSA representative Katalina Rojas said that in Colombia items ranging from software and music to films and books are pirated among others, representing over half of the total output in the country.
She stated that software piracy alone represents losses to the national industry to the tune of $244 million. According to Rojas, if the country was able to reduce the level of piracy by 10 percentage points, 1,449 new well-paying jobs could be generated and could bring the state $74 million in taxes.
Rojas added, “Having a figure of 55% is far from acceptable, directly affecting local economies. In Colombia the fight against software piracy continues to be a high-priority and urgent matter.”
The figures were released as part of World Intellectual Property Day celebrations which are taking place Tuesday.
