Turning Piracy to your advantage

An article in The Economist has caught the eye of our friendly Afro Leo who feasts on so much, often depressing, news about piracy statistics on the continent. This article entitled "Look for the Silver Lining" illustrates some of the ways in which companies can turn piracy to their advantage such as by:

a. using the frequency of piracy which in turn indicates demand, to help negotaite terms for legitimate deals;

b. noting how piracy generates brand awareness in new markets for legitimate after sales service and supply of goods; and

c. noting how pirates improve models for local markets before making them legitimate.

The conclusion bring us back to reality: "That this silver lining exists should not obscure the cloud. Most of the time, companies will decide to combat piracy of their products by sending in the lawyers with all guns blazing. And most of the time that is the right thing to do. But before they rush into action companies should check to see if there is a way for them to turn piracy to their advantage"

For the full article click here.