"European Union projects in coming seven years translate to €58 billion budget for Romania, of which €36 billion represents the budget for projects with market potential for infrastructure, construction, utility, and mechanical design," said Cristian Dumitrescu, CEO of A&C International.
Autodesk products claim a 90 percent share on the Romanian software design market. "Sales of Autodesk software products rose by 138 percent in 2006, due to increasing interest in the area of construction and infrastructure, and estimates are valid also for 2007," said David Palas, Country Sales Manager for Autodesk for the Czech Republic, Slovakia and South-Eastern Europe.
The Autodesk software piracy rate is 15 percent higher than the total software piracy rate in Romania, which dropped to 69 percent in 2006 from 72 percent.
"Although Autodesk cannot accurately measure losses from software piracy, we estimate that for each legal copy there are 3-5 illegal copies," Dumitrescu added.
Countries that joined the EU in 2004 have a software piracy rate below 50 percent: 42 percent in Hungary, 45 percent in Slovakia, 39 percent in the Czech Republic, and 48 percent in Slovenia. At present, there are over 7,000 companies using Autodesk software in Romania, with or without a license.
A&C International launched an anti-piracy campaign to draw attention to software piracy risks in the field of computer assisted design, on the basis of an evolution of the design market since Romania joined the EU. This is Autodesk's second anti-piracy campaign in Romania, following one in September 2006, which resulted in some €1 million worth of sales for the company. This year's campaign mainly targets design companies operating in the field of mechanics, construction, architecture, cadastre, and cartography.
"Although Autodesk cannot accurately measure losses from software piracy, we estimate that for each legal copy there are 3-5 illegal copies Cristian Dumitrescu CEO, A&C International
