CAIRO: Egypt has taken a step forward in combating software piracy, with most recent record of piracy rates dropping to 60 percent in 2007 from 63 percent the previous year, reported PRNewswire. According to the fifth annual BSA and IDC Global Software Piracy Study, Egypt's rating is now 1 percent below the global median of 61 percent. The report, conducted across 108 countries, looks at the impact of the piracy of all packaged software that runs on personal computers, including desktops, laptops and ultra-portables. Software piracy is a global issue and is a particular challenge in emerging markets where rapid growth in first-times users leads to high consumer piracy. Increased internet use, especially broadband, leads to an increase in the supply of pirated software and in many emerging countries, where institutional infrastructure is weak, education and enforcement can be difficult. Egypt is tackling this challenge head on in a bid to enhance the modern business environment, said a statement to the press. "The support given by the Egyptian government through the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) has enabled Egypt to take a number of steps to reduce software piracy. Commenting on the reports finding, MCIT Minister Tarek Kamel, said, Piracy is a global issue and here in Egypt we have been proactive in tacking the situation. Since the early 2000s we have been approving deals with vendors to provide software for government and educational use which has contributed to this latest drop in our piracy rating. Last year, Egypt was named by the World Bank as the top reformer in 2007. The reduction in software piracy will help Egypt s in its efforts to become a regionlal outsourcing hub. According to an IDC report published in January 2008, a 10 point reduction in Egypt s piracy rating over the next 10 years will have a profound impact on the country s economy. An improved rating will create an additional 1,750 new jobs, $150 million in economic growth and $8 million in tax revenues. Over the past five years, Egypt s piracy rating has fallen from 69 percent in 2003 to 60 percent in 2007, lower than other global outsourcing locations including Morocco (67 percent), the Philippines (69 percent) and Bulgaria (68 percent).
