This rate is among the highest in Western Europe, second only to Greece. This increase was due largely to the BSA's own efforts. The bulk of the increase in raids resulted from the BSA's decision to aggressively pursue end-users through civil actions, because BSA's repeated educational campaigns to persuade Spanish businesses to stop copying software illegally failed to have any measurable impact. Unfortunately, the slow pace of both civil and criminal court proceedings has diluted the impact of these raids. Criminal prosecutions take anywhere from two to four years to reach judgement following a police raid.
Civil proceedings are similarly slow.
Such delays seriously undermine the deterrent value of raids, as both resellers and end-users realize that there will be no immediate consequences to their behavior. These delays also mean that the software industry must endure long waits before receiving compensation for violations of copyrights. Spanish courts are also slow in rendering decisions on applications for civil and criminal search orders, despite time limits imposed under Spain's Codes of Civil and Criminal Procedure. Rulings on criminal applications are rendered only slightly more expeditiously. Courts generally require from 9 to 50 days to rule on a criminal search order application.