Copyright law hits Internet business
Copyright law hits Internet business
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The new copyrights law could hamper the growth in the number
of Internet users, as software products cost internet service
providers more.
Heru Nugroho, the secretary general of the Indonesian Internet
Service Providers Association (APJII), said Law No. 19/2002 on
copyrights may lead to the collapse of internet services such as
internet cafes, locally known as warnet.
The law also covers intellectual property rights for software,
fundamental to internet service providers.
"The government has abolished the use of illegal software.
Now, they must come up with an alternative such as developing
open source software," Heru said on Thursday as quoted by Antara.
Open source, refers to information technology -- consisting of
such things as training, software and consultations -- available
free to internet users.
Linux is the most popular information technology company,
offering training, solutions and consultations on any aspect of
the open source operating system.
It is in opposition with the giant information technology
company, Microsoft, whose software, related training programs and
other elements -- required to operate the Microsoft system --
must be purchased at a high price, due to proprietary rights.
According to Heru, the association initially predicted
internet users to increase to 5.5 million this year, from 4.2
million last year. But Heru said the figure may not reach 5.5
million if the government does not provide options for users.
APJII records indicate that internet subscribers in the
country, in the first semester of 2003, reached 630,000. This
consisted of subscribers from the education sector (40,000),
residential and internet cafe users (550,000) and corporate
sector subscribers, (40,000).
Indonesia is the third-largest market for pirated
entertainment products after China and Vietnam. More than 80
percent of all CDs, VCDs, DVDs and computer software and
video-game discs are illegal copies, industrial experts have
said.
It is estimated that about 80 percent of businesses that have
computers in Indonesia use illegal software products.
When the government enacted the copyrights law in July many
businesses panicked as they had to spend millions of rupiah to
buy legal software.
The crack down on vendors and internet cafes owners for using
illegal software would not help curb piracy. Instead, it would
renew the conflict between the public, internet cafe owners and
the government, Heru said.
Heru suggested the campaign to use legal software should be
implemented gradually. For example, by not forcing internet cafe
owners to immediately swap the illegal software for legal
software.
Internet cafe owners could make the changeover gradually and
under the government's supervision, he added.