Unlicensed software in Romania estimated at EUR 130 M

Forscope Romania, a software broker focused on buying and selling second hand software in Central and Eastern Europe, is drawing attention on the magnitude of the software piracy trend in Romania which is estimated to represent more than half (53%) of the total number of installed software, at a market value of about 130 million Euro.

“These are alarming numbers that we believe we should be paying a lot more attention to in Romania as everybody has only to lose from this situation: users who are putting themselves at great risk as well as the government due to untaxed activity,” says Ionut Les, Country Manager for Romania at Forscope.

Another worrying aspect of this phenomenon is that a large portion of the pirated software in Romania is estimated to actually be acquired and used by companies, with MS Windows, MS Windows Server or MS Office being some of the most sought after software solutions, in their attempt to cut costs.

The risks for buying the activation keys online are multiple and can have serious consequences over businesses. Illegal software is often modified to prevent updates or authenticity checks. This reduces performance drastically and makes devices more susceptible to viruses, malware, ransomware and hacking, in general.

“Moreover, the legal risks for acquiring, for example, Windows Activation Keys from unauthorised sites is that the software being sold is often pirated or counterfeit. This means that the software is being distributed illegally, and if you are caught using it, you can be subject to legal action. Microsoft is particularly active in monitoring and taking to court those who are found to be using pirated or counterfeit software, and the consequences can range from hefty fines to even jail time,” adds Ionut Les.

A legal and just as effective solution to buy less expensive software is acquiring second hand software from companies such as Forscope, which can help firms and public authorities to save more than 70% of the cost of a new software. Used software works exactly the same as new, but you can get it for a much lower price. Forscope is the market leader in Central and Eastern Europe in buying and selling used software from and to companies and public authorities, being active in 10 countries in the region, including Romania.

Previously Used Software is a copy of a computer program which has previously been once sold by its right holder (e.g. the company Microsoft Corporation). The owner of such a copy of the software (the original acquirer of the licence) is now offering it for sale to another person who wishes to continue its use.

Hospitals, city halls, universities, electricity providers, public transportation companies, ministries and even intelligence services in CEE are the public institutions most interested in acquiring used software, whereas DPD, QFort or Hell Energy Drink are some of the companies that have used Forscope’s used software solutions.

The scale of pirated software usage in Romania is similar with that of Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Russia in Eastern Europe. The extent of illegal software is not as significant in other Central and Eastern European countries such as the Czech Republic (26%), Slovakia (29%), Slovenia (35%) or Poland (40%). At about 79%, Armenia has the highest rate of unlicensed software in the region followed by the Republic of Moldova at 77%, and Belarus at 76%. As for western Europe, the average use of pirated software is approximately 20%, according to the Forscope analysis.