Official warns against the use of pirated software

Official warns against the use of pirated software

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As the enactment date for the law on software piracy draws
closer, the government warned consumers and the business
community on Thursday against using or selling pirated computer
software.

The Director of Copyright, Industrial Design, Integrated
Circuit Layout Design and Trade Secrets at the Ministry of
Justice and Human Rights, Emawati Junus, said the ministry had
sent warning letters to businesspeople against the use of pirated
computer software.

"The direct mailer program urged the business people to use
original software in their commercial activities," she said.

Emawati added that the ministry would also notify the
operators of malls in Greater Jakarta not to provide kiosks for
vendors selling pirated software.

"Under the new law, a more severe fine and prison sentence can
be imposed toward those who provide spaces for unruly vendors,"
she said referring to the new law, Law No. 19/2002, which
stipulates that someone who merely uses pirated computer software
can be sentenced to five years imprisonment or a Rp 500 million
fine.

The law come into effect in July 2003.

Emawati also remarked that as proof that the government was
committed to ending software piracy, the ministry would establish
a task force to implement the new law.

"The task force comprises officials from the Supreme Court,
the Attorney General's Office, the Indonesian Police, the
Ministry of Justice and Human Rights and the Directorate General
of Customs and Tariffs, as well as the software and entertainment
industries," she said.

Saying that the piracy of copyrighted materials was so
widespread as to be common practice in the country, she added,
"The country will scare off investors if the government failed to
minimize piracy."

The United States has already placed Indonesia on its priority
watch list over piracy activities. This is one step below the
classification of priority foreign country, which would be
subject to economic sanctions.

A recent report from the Business Software Alliance (BSA)
showed that Indonesia ranked third in software piracy after China
and Vietnam.

In 2001, 88 percent of software sold in Indonesia were
pirated, or that nine out of ten software sold in Indonesia were
pirated versions, said Jeff Hardee, Vice President of BSA.

"The loss suffered by the software companies from the rampant
activities of piracy in the same period was around US$80
million," he said.