Want to bring down the US trade deficit? One easy way is to reduce software piracy. At last count, the packaged-software industry was contributing a surplus of nearly $37 billion to the US balance of trade — and that was with one hand tied behind its back, because another $30 billion worth of sales are … Read More >>
Tag: piracy
China’s Software Audits: Green Eyeshades or Rose-Colored Glasses?
Now that the dust has settled from Chinese President Hu Jintao’s recent visit to Washington, it is worth pausing to take stock of the latest round of developments on the thorny issue of software legalization, long a source of frustration in US-China economic relations. Recall that the issue topped the agenda in December’s ministerial
Why Technology Neutrality Matters
The US government spends nearly $80 billion a year on computers, software, networking equipment and related services, making it the world’s largest customer for information technology, by far. This gives it enormous heft in the marketplace. The choices it makes have wide ramifications. So imagine for a minute that it decided to favor certain technologies … Read More >>
US-China JCCT Talks Represent an Inflection Point
After years of frustration with persistently high rates of software piracy in China, could it be that we are about to see actual improvement in legal software sales there? Having met recently with top officials in the US and Chinese governments, I am guardedly optimistic. One thing is abundantly clear: Both governments, at the very … Read More >>
An International Meeting of the Minds on IP Enforcement
Thirty-seven countries together representing more than half of world trade declared with one voice this week that “effective enforcement of intellectual property rights is critical to sustaining economic growth across all industries and globally.” They further noted: “[T]he proliferation of counterfeit and pirated goods as well as the proliferation of services that distribute infringing material, … Read More >>