Government plans to shift to legal software

Government plans to shift to legal software

Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Eight months after authorities began enforcing Law No. 19/2002 on
copyrights, the government will begin using licensed software
once it finishes taking inventory and negotiating prices, an
official said.

A secretary to the state minister for communications and
information, J.B. Kristiadi, said on Friday the government was in
the process of listing unlicensed software at each of its
institutions. It will take approximately one month to finish the
inventory.

According to data from the office of the state minister, there
are approximately 70,000 computers that need to be listed.

The decision to embark on this effort came following a
government summit on the implementation of the copyright law in
Bogor on March 9, 2004.

The summit was attended by State Minister for Communications
and Information Syamsul Mu'arif, Kristiadi, who is also the
Indonesian Telematics Coordination Team secretary, Association of
Indonesian Software and Telematic Developers chairman Djarot
Subiantoro and Business Software Alliance (BSA) country chair
Choo Hua Wee.

"After the inventory process is done, then we will negotiate
with software vendors. Hopefully, we can buy licensed software at
lower prices," Kristiadi said.

He said that in Thailand, the price of a package of licensed
software had been reduced to US$35 from $350 for the government
after a similar copyright law was enacted.

In Indonesia, the prices of legal software range between
US$200 and $600 per package, whereas computers cost as little as
Rp 2.5 million (US$282) to Rp 5 million.

The high price of licensed software in the country has led
many people to opt for unlicensed software, which generally has
the same quality at much lower prices.

Data from the BSA shows that the percentage of unlicensed
software users increased to 89 percent last year from 88 percent
in 2002.

"It means that approximately nine out of 10 computers in
Indonesia use pirated software," BSA country chair Choo Hua Wee
told The Jakarta Post.

As a result, Wee said, Indonesia was ranked fourth last year
in terms of software piracy, behind Vietnam, China and Russia.

Nonetheless, he said, the Indonesian government was taking a
positive step in right direction by promoting the use of licensed
software in each of its institutions.

"Of course, there's still so much to do, but it's a good step
and we're encouraged by the move," he said.

He said that for the time being, the BSA would continue to
focus on the government sector to combat software piracy in the
country.

"The biggest challenge is to promote the use of legal software
among corporate and private users. Thus, we are now focusing on
the government first as it will set as an example for others,"
said Wee.

Under the amended Law No. 19/2002 on copyrights, which came
into effect in June last year, those involved in software piracy
are subject to a maximum punishment of five years in prison and a
maximum fine of Rp 500 million.

BSA is a nonprofit multinational association to promote a
legal digital world. It groups big software companies such as
Adobe, Apple Computer, Compaq, Dell, IBM, Intel and Microsoft.