Original software 'secures Internet cafe business'
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
When he opened his warnet (Internet cafe) business five years ago, Roy installed pirated software for only Rp 20,000 (US$2) a computer.
In time, his warnet business in Tebet, South Jakarta, flourished and he was able to buy more desktop computers also installed with copied software.
But a suggestion from the Indonesian Internet Cafe Association (AWARI) chairwoman Judith MS Lubis changed Roy's way of business. Judith told him that by installing original software would make his business legitimate.
"So, I decided to install original Microsoft Windows Home Edition programs for all 13 desktop computers at my warnet, although I have had to spend about Rp 9.6 million to do so," Roy said on Monday.
Roy, however, is only one of about 500 Internet cafe owners nationwide who have installed original software to run their business. AWARI estimates that about 90 percent of its 5,000 members still use unlicensed software.
Warnet with illegal software, a violation of Law No. 19/2002 on copyright protection, were the recent target of police raids in Jakarta and other cities in Java. Perpetrators can be sentenced to a maximum of five years' jail and fined up to Rp 500 million.
Judith said so far AWARI had received reports that two Internet cafes had been completely shut down by police as "they failed to show an end-user license to them".
With 87 percent of software on the market estimated to be copied, according to a study by the Business Software Alliance (BSA), Indonesia ranked fifth in global software piracy after Vietnam, the Ukraine, China and Zimbabwe two years running in 2003 and 2004.
The BSA has opened a hotline number -- 0800-1-272-272 -- to allow the public to participate in the government campaign to curb piracy. The international organization is offering Rp 50 million in cash for any solid evidence or reports of software piracy.
In another effort to increase Internet cafe owners' awareness on copyright law, the AWARI take a roadshow to Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Medan and Denpasar.
"We will kick off the roadshow in Yogyakarta on Thursday by organizing a workshop to train trainers who will help internet cafe owners operate their businesses in accordance with the regulations," Judith said.
Microsoft director for small and mid-markets Megawaty Khie said the company would support the association's move. The campaign followed up the Microsoft Software Rental Agreement for Internet Cafes the firm and AWARI signed in April, allowing warnet owners to buy licensed Microsoft software gradually.
Microsoft would also offer training on the use of its technology, the implementation of licenses and marketing, she said.
Judith said AWARI would encourage Internet cafes to set a standard price for their services in a bid to avoid unhealthy competition. (001)