President Basescu said, “Piracy helped the young generation discover computers. It helped Romanians improve their creative capacity in the IT industry, which has become famous around the world … Ten years ago, it was an investment in Romania’s friendship with Microsoft and with Bill Gates.”
Gates, co-founder and chairman of Microsoft did not comment on the statements of the Romanian President.
The Business Software Alliance (BSA) estimates that 74% of the software used in Romania is pirated. The widespread use of pirated software is one of the main reasons for the flourishing software sector in Romania. Paradoxally, according to the BSA, Romania’s IT sector could add 7,300 jobs to their emerging software sector if it can reach a 10 percent drop in its 74 percent software piracy rate.
