AVAST Software says only 1.8% of people using its Avast! antivirus program have paid for a user license, and that the original 14 – the only ones it’s sold – have been used in over 200 countries ranging from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe – even Vatican City.
AVAST Software is trying to convert pirates into paying customers after watching its Avast! antivirus program balloon to 774,651 active users on the backs of just 14 legal user licenses.
The news isn’t seen as a threat to Avast! which claims that it has “always prided itself” on the fact that 80% of new customers have been recommended the program by “satisfied friends” and sees the new users as a chance for additional growth.
“We made a decision to see just how viral this one license for avast! Pro Antivirus could be,” said Vince Steckler, CEO of AVAST Software. “The answer is ‘very’. Now we are in the process of converting these pirates over to legal products.”
Avast! says the irony is that license codes for its antivirus program were found on the very type of sites that the software is supposed to protect users from.
“We found our license code at a number of warez sites around the globe,” added Steckler. “There is a paradox in computer users looking for ‘free’ antivirus programs at locations with a known reputation for spreading malware.”
Here’s a breakdown of the countries with the most number of pirated copies in a list it dubs the “Top Dirty Dozen”:
- Russia
- Mexico
- Brazil
- Italy
- Spain
- USA
- India
- Philippines
- France
- Ukraine
- Argentina
- Thailand
Avast said that two PCs located within the Vatican were also using unlicensed copies.
The news is really much ado about nothing, Avast! seemingly using the whole affair to promote its antivirus program, but it is interesting to learn that even the Vatican has pirates in its midst.
Stay tuned.
jared@zeropaid.com
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