Copyright law treats govt offices differently

Copyright law treats govt offices differently

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Due to their crucial roles in providing public services,
government offices and educational institutions will enjoy
lenient treatment when the new copyright law comes into effect at
the end of July this year.

Director General of Intellectual Property Rights at the
Ministry of Justice and Human Rights Abdul Bari Azed said the
ministry was now formulating government regulations that would
allow the institutions to escape punishment stipulated by the
law.

"The ministry and software developers have agreed that
different treatment should be accorded to public service
providers and educational institutions, given their important
role in society," Bari said.

He added that the ministry and software developers grouped
under the Business Software Alliance (BSA) were considering
exemption of private users at home from tough legal measures.

Last year the House of Representatives endorsed Law No.
19/2002 on copyright law, which stipulates more severe
punishments for users of pirated software. The law will come into
effect on July 29.

Law No. 19/2002 bans the use of pirated software mainly for
commercial use. Those who commit piracy, sell pirated software or
simply allow the crime to take place will face a maximum jail
sentence of five years or a Rp 500 million fine.

The leading software developer, Microsoft, also agreed that
the new copyright law should not be implemented in a radical
manner.

"Piracy is a major problem in this country and there is no way
that it can be overcome overnight," business development manager
of Microsoft Indonesia Diana Ardian said, explaining that the
mere copying of software from one computer to another could be
categorized as piracy.

She added that Microsoft had already accorded different
treatment to public offices.

"We offer a price discount of up to 80 percent if the software
is intended to be used in public service," Diana told The Jakarta
Post.

She said that Microsoft was now carrying out a campaign to
expand its lines of distribution.

"We hope that by the time the new law comes into effect
Microsoft will easily be available to consumers," she said.

The company was more concerned about the piracy carried out by
businesses, said Diana.

Confirming that Microsoft fully supported a year-long campaign
prior to enactment of the new law, she said, "It is toward these
business corporations that use software for commercial purposes
that the campaign should be targeted."

Some government offices have been using original software in
their daily work.

An information technology (IT) expert at the regional office
of state Telecommunications Company PT Telkom on Jl Gatot
Subroto, Tanto Suratno, said that for office purposes the
management purchased only original software.

"But later we made a copy, so that it could be used for a
large number of computers in the office," he explained.

Danang, a computer analyst from the directorate general of tax
at the Ministry of Finance explained that his office used only
licensed software.

However, if branch offices from outside Jakarta asked to use
the software, the office would simply be told the license number,
he said.

He acknowledged that the headquarters found it difficult to
control the use of pirated software outside Jakarta.

Indonesia ranks third after China and Vietnam in software
piracy. Even in the U.S., a country known for its respect for
copyright, 25 percent of software sold was pirated.