Software piracy rates have stayed static in the UK and fallen in many countries around the world despite the recession.

The Business Software Alliance - the big vendors' lobby group - said despite an expectation that economic hardship would increase the number of dodgy copies of software in use in fact rates fell in 54 countries and only rose in 19.

Globally rates rose two per cent to 43 per cent thanks to "fast growing, higher piracy markets in China, India and Brazil".

The BSA said UK rates were steady at 27 per cent, sixth lowest in the world. The BSA believes this equates to £1bn in losses - by assuming that every dodgy copy found would be replaced by a full price copy. The US is the best-behaved country with piracy rates of 20 per cent.

Georgia, Zimbabwe and Moldova had the highest rates of illegally copied software

The BSA said: "This consumer influence would have raised the piracy rate had it not been sustained momentum from years of anti-piracy programmes and for the jump in netbook shipments to nearly 20 percent of the market". Netbooks, the group claims, come with enough bundled software to discourage further piracy.

More from the BSA is available here. ®