Officials boost fight against software piracy in KL<\/p>\n
Associated Press, Kuala Lumpur<\/p>\n
Industry watchdogs are trying to spur more tip-offs on
\ncompanies that use pirated software, even as government
\nauthorities prepare for a nationwide crackdown on copyright
\ninfringement, officials said Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The Malaysian arm of the Business Software Alliance, a U.S.-
\nbased industry anti-counterfeiting group, is raising its rewards
\nfor information on corporate use of illegal software to
\n\"encourage more people to come forward,\" said Tarun Sawney, the
\ngroup's Asia-Pacific enforcement manager.<\/p>\n
The alliance is offering informants 100,000 ringgit
\n(US$26,316) throughout August, five times the usual amount of
\n20,000 ringgit ($5,263), Sawney said.<\/p>\n
In his statement, Sawney said the increased reward offer was a
\nshow of support for a crackdown on software piracy that the
\nMalaysian Domestic Trade Ministry has vowed to launch on Sept. 1.<\/p>\n
Ministry officials said recently they had warned about 200
\ncompanies to rid their computers of unlicensed software before
\nSeptember, when raids will be conducted on offices nationwide.<\/p>\n
Police and ministry officials met Tuesday to discuss tougher
\nmeasures to combat copyright infringements, including bootlegged
\nvideo and music discs, a ministry source told The Associated
\nPress on condition of anonymity. Details were not immediately
\navailable.<\/p>\n
Pirated software is commonly used in Malaysia despite strict
\ncopyright laws that allow offenders to be jailed for up to five
\nyears and fined 10,000 ringgit ($2,632) for each infringement.<\/p>\n
The Business Software Alliance estimates that 70 percent of
\nall software used in Malaysia last year was illegal, up from 66
\npercent in 2001. The infringements resulted in losses totaling
\n359.1 million ringgit ($94.5 million) to the software industry.<\/p>\n
\"This is an alarming trend,\" Sawney said. \"It certainly goes
\nto show that there are still recalcitrant companies who are
\nsimply ignoring the government's call to use only legal and
\nlicensed software for business.\"<\/p>",
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