Based on the information provided by the Business Software Alliance, an analysis found that national IQ score correlates with local software piracy rates. As per the study published by Raufhon Salahodjaev, Shoirahon Odilova, and Antonio R. Andr´es in their research paper titled “Intelligence and Crime: A novel evidence for software piracy,” countries with higher IQ scores usually have lower software piracy rates.
National IQ score correlates with local software piracy rates
The researchers said in their findings:
“After controlling for the potential effect of outlier nations in the sample, software piracy rate declines by about 5.3 percentage points if national IQ increases by 10 points. [The results] should not be taken as universal evidence that society with higher intelligent quotient is a requirement to alleviate software piracy. Our findings indicate that if ruling elite enforces policies to decrease software piracy, intelligence provides a credible proxy of the degree of consent of such policies.”
Interestingly, the conclusion doesn’t seem to be working well with China as piracy rates and IQ are both relatively high over there. However, South Africa witnessed piracy rates and IQ both low, making the finding sound accurate.
In spite of few exceptions, the overall study turned out to be sensible with a possible link between country’s average IQ and the local software piracy rates. Hence, if correct measures are taken, software piracy should not be much of a problem.
The study had to consider over 100 countries in order to come out with this conclusion, which not only revealed the relation between national intelligence and software piracy but also what possibly leads to such illegal acts in the first place. Unfortunately, illegal copying or distribution of copyrighted software is not new.
As a matter of fact, software piracy is around since PCs came into existence in late 70’s, mainly due to lack of legal options or affordability. As a result, the Computer Software Copyright Act of 1980 was then implemented.
