Officials boost fight against software piracy in KL
Officials boost fight against software piracy in KL
Associated Press, Kuala Lumpur
Industry watchdogs are trying to spur more tip-offs on companies that use pirated software, even as government authorities prepare for a nationwide crackdown on copyright infringement, officials said Tuesday.
The Malaysian arm of the Business Software Alliance, a U.S.- based industry anti-counterfeiting group, is raising its rewards for information on corporate use of illegal software to "encourage more people to come forward," said Tarun Sawney, the group's Asia-Pacific enforcement manager.
The alliance is offering informants 100,000 ringgit (US$26,316) throughout August, five times the usual amount of 20,000 ringgit ($5,263), Sawney said.
In his statement, Sawney said the increased reward offer was a show of support for a crackdown on software piracy that the Malaysian Domestic Trade Ministry has vowed to launch on Sept. 1.
Ministry officials said recently they had warned about 200 companies to rid their computers of unlicensed software before September, when raids will be conducted on offices nationwide.
Police and ministry officials met Tuesday to discuss tougher measures to combat copyright infringements, including bootlegged video and music discs, a ministry source told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Details were not immediately available.
Pirated software is commonly used in Malaysia despite strict copyright laws that allow offenders to be jailed for up to five years and fined 10,000 ringgit ($2,632) for each infringement.
The Business Software Alliance estimates that 70 percent of all software used in Malaysia last year was illegal, up from 66 percent in 2001. The infringements resulted in losses totaling 359.1 million ringgit ($94.5 million) to the software industry.
"This is an alarming trend," Sawney said. "It certainly goes to show that there are still recalcitrant companies who are simply ignoring the government's call to use only legal and licensed software for business."