A study commissioned by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has found that manufacturers in emerging countries save up to $2.9 billion annually by using pirated software. The results of the study were announced as part of the company's Global Play Fair Day on Thursday, which also singled out manufacturers said to be using pirated software. As reported on Network World, this was done in the hopes of convincing the Federal Trade Commission to initiate sanctions against foreign manufacturers of pirated software.

According to the report, the competitive advantage in just four emerging countries--Brazil, Russia, India and China--adds up to $1.6 billion per year. The figure takes into consideration the competitive harm that is suffered by a firm that pays for legit software versus one that simply pirates it. To better illustrate the point, Microsoft noted that the $505 million saved by manufacturers who pirate in India translates into a staggering 215,000 new employees.

"I do like to have a good night's sleep, which I wouldn't be able to do if I was stealing something," Bharat Somany, a director at Hindusthan National Glass & Industries was quoted as saying in a statement. "Transparency is something that starts vanishing pretty quickly when you [pirate]. Not only do you hide from others, but you end up having things in your own company that are hidden from you--there is no accountability when you go in for pirated software."

You can download the study from Microsoft's Global Play Fair Day page here.

For more:
- check out this article at VentureBeat
- check out this article at Network World

Related Articles:
Hidden costs in outsourcing to Latin America
Mac malware steals user credentials, processing power, Bitcoins
Pirate Bay says it will create new P2P DNS system