Digital Rights Ireland and a US-based civil liberties group want to be joined to a pending case here over data protection rights with significant international implications, a High Court judge heard yesterday.

LOBBYING FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY

PIRACY of software on personal computers in Ireland fell 2% from 2006 to 2007, from 36% to 34%, amid a global trend in which piracy rates dropped in most countries.

MORE than one third of all packaged software installed on PCs in Ireland in 2005 was illegal, according to an annual global software piracy study.

The amount of illegal software being used by Irish companies has fallen slightly, according to a lobby group campaigning on the issue.

The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has commenced a vigorous campaign amongst Irish small to medium sized enterprises reinforcing the importance of proper software asset management to protect against legal liabilities arising from inadvertent copyright infringement.

Almost 40% of software installed on Irish computers is counterfeit, according to an organisation representing computer companies worldwide.

The Business Software Alliance has claimed that almost half of all computer software used in Ireland has been copied illegally.

The Business Software Alliance received 113 reports of illegal software use in Ireland last year, according to figures released today.

Employees who abuse email and internet facilities for 10 minutes every day are costing Irish firms over €300m a year in productivity terms.

SOFTWARE piracy costs the Irish software industry €40 million a year and now the Business Software Alliance (BSA) has started taking legal action against companies suspected of using unlicensed software.

CHILDREN could be drawn into crime simply by downloading software from the internet, according to business groups.

Almost half of all computer software used by Irish businesses last year was pirated, according to a survey conducted by the Business Software Alliance.

A new survey says Ireland must do more to stamp out software piracy.

E-MAIL and internet abuse is costing businesses up to €1 million a day, according to the Small Firms Association (SFA).

MORE than four out of 10 software packages in use here is illegal, a rate that is costing the economy and undermining our software industry according to ICT Ireland.

Microsoft has launched a new information tool to help consumers and businesses determine the legitimacy of software claiming to be genuine Microsoft software.

Half of all the software used by businesses in Ireland is illegal, according to a watchdog group for the IT sector.

Legal proceedings have been initiated against an Irish engineering firm for inadequate software licensing.

The software piracy rate in Ireland has increased 1% on last year and currently stands at 42%, equating to revenue losses of almost €42,3m for the Irish software industry, according to the Business Software Alliance's (BSA) seventh annual survey on software piracy.

Jobs in Ireland are being put at risk due to software piracy.

Analysts say software piracy grew in 2000 for the first time in more than half a decade.