The UK, with one of the lowest rates of piracy, must be the most profitable market for the US software industry given its widespread policy of converting the dollar price to sterling at a rate approaching 1:1. For example Adobe CS3 Web Premium is $1600 or £1400; Microsoft Vista Ultimate is $400 or £370 (Businesses must crack down on piracy).

Those are UK VAT-inclusive list prices and reflect what a private individual will be paying. The price differential will contribute to the incentive to use an illegal copy, as does our lower average per capita income and higher cost of living.

Comparing the VAT-free prices, Adobe and Microsoft are still valuing the pound at $0.74 and $0.79 respectively compared with today's market rate of $0.49 - on that basis we are paying 50 per cent more than the US. Maybe if the manufacturers were to bring UK prices in to line with the US, our piracy rate would fall still further.

Rob Hindle