Businesses are unwitting pirates, says KPMG

Of the 1,004 business people surveyed, more than half of the business users surveyed said they are unaware of corporate policies governing intellectual property that may be in place. According to the study, 54% of business users indicated they do not know if it is permissible to redistribute information from on-line sites they subscribe to, while 23% said they believe it is permitted.

“This survey tells us that the serious nature of software and content piracy is not clearly communicated to internet users in the workplace,” said Barbara Carbone of KPMG. “The business community needs to do a better job of educating its employees about internet use, or risk fines, lawsuits or other incidents that can arise from conducting business in a digital workplace.”

According to the study, most users of internet content and software products said they were unaware of the proper legal use of such products, yet over 69% reported they have used the internet to acquire software and 22% subscribe to business information services.

“Theft is still the heart of the issue, and software and information companies must be on the alert for those who would steal or borrow their most valuable assets: their intellectual property,'' said Roger Carlile, the partner in charge of KPMG's Forensic & Litigation Services practice.

While individuals may consciously and illegally download software, 12% of those surveyed claimed that no one gets hurt when software is shared. Their behaviours tend to moderate with respect to redistribution of software. Fewer than 10% of consumers and 16% of business users admit to redistribution, more closely aligning with their expressed beliefs.

Redistribution of subscription business content is much more frequent. Nearly half of those who access unauthorised subscription services report having redistributed content at least once, but only 7% report redistributing content more than once a week.

In addition, 21% of business users indicated that they have downloaded digital content from information services to which their employer does not have a paid subscription. One-third said they receive content once a week and one-sixth at least once a day.

Other findings from the survey include the following:

• 81 % state that they would not violate copyright laws.
• 48% agree that everyone who uses the Internet violates copyright laws at some point.
• 41% say that there should be stricter regulations to protect copyright laws at some point.
• 38% say that all information on the Internet should be free.
• 61% claimed that they would never share software downloaded from the Internet without appropriate licensing.
• 67% say that any newsworthy article, in print or via theInternet should be fully accessible without a fee attached.