By Princewill  Ekwujuru & Itoro Udofia

At the Design Solutions Symposium in Lagos, Autodesk Africa re-affirmed its commitment to working with local Nigerian organisations to curb software piracy in the region.

The symposium attended by Autodesk channel partners and industry professionals, the event focused on the economic effects of software piracy in West Africa, what Autodesk is doing in partnership with local authorities to curb software piracy, and the investment that Autodesk has made into the region to support the local architecture, engineering and construction industries.

Richard Smedley-Williams, Sales Director of Autodesk Africa’s distribution partner, WorldsView Technologies said that Autodesk’s anti-piracy strategy involves educating users as to exactly what constitutes illegal usage.

According to him, the BSA report finds that 51 per cent of decision-makers in developing world damage the economies believe the practice of buying a licensed copy of a software program and then installing it on multiple computers is legal. This figure sits at an even higher 68 per cent in Nigeria.

He went further to say that the problem of illegal software usage in emerging markets is a serious one. Finding a solution is likely to become ever more urgent with usage rates expected to soar over the coming years,” warns Richard Smedley-Williams, Sales Director of Autodesk Africa’s distribution partner, WorldsView Technologies.

“Businesses operating in emerging markets such as Nigeria need educating in what constitutes illegal usage, how to stay legal and the benefits of doing so.

“To pro-actively curb software piracy in Nigeria, Autodesk has launched an amnesty period for users of pirated software to move over to legal versions of AutoCAD and related software products, offering them the opportunity to approach local Autodesk channel partners to purchase legal copies without fear of legal action.