China IT industry to triple revenues

China could triple revenues in its information technology industry by 2009 if the country cuts its software piracy rate by 10 per cent, said Jeffery Hardee, vice-president of US-based Business Software Alliance (BSA), on April 26.

Citing a recent study by International Data Corp, Hardee said a 10-point drop in piracy could translate into a revenue increase of more than US$67 billion and an additional US$6.5 billion in tax revenues for the Chinese Government by 2009. He added that a piracy crackdown could lead to 2.6 million new jobs by 2009.

Hardee made the remarks on the sidelines of an intellectual property summit in Beijing. He praised China's improvements to its copyright strategy and the ongoing legalization of software within enterprises and government agencies.