ThinkingSkull.com

According to an article posted on May 19th, 2005 on The Economist, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) claims their loss of $33 billion in 2004 “due to piracy” was achieved by guestimating all the PCs on Planet Earth (aka Sol 3, Third Rock from the Sun), averaging how many programs are running on each, deducting the number of known licenses issued worldwide, and multiplying that total with a general dollar figure. This throws up a flag, of course, because it is impossible to substantiate a true dollar figure like this, especially one that sounds impressive enough to spurn lawmakers into action.

Consider the following: a program you’ve never heard of and would never use or could never afford is being credited as “lost revenue” because you don’t own it. Nevermind those who actually stole it; if you’ve never bought a license to a program that isn’t even on your computer, you are just as guilty as those who DID steal it! And why stop there? How many Martians are intercepting signals or coping software from the Freedom and Independance rovers? How many untold zillions in MarsBucks are being lost right now by software companies?

Now consider this: is this the same method that the MPAA and the RIAA are using to determine that 10-year old little Suzie must be sued for that song she downloaded from her classmate? And remember, when people don’t go see uninteresting movies they didn’t want to watch in the first place, a set painter in California must file for unemployment; you do the math.