Police raid shops selling counterfeit software

Police raid shops selling counterfeit software

JAKARTA (JP): Police announced yesterday that they seized
thousands of counterfeit diskettes and CD-ROMs during a raid on
four computer shops in downtown Glodok district.

National Police Chief Spokesman Brig. Gen. I.K. Ratta said
five people were arrested following their Tuesday raid on four
shops in Glodok and Orion plazas.

The counterfeit software has an estimated retail value of Rp 7
billion (over US$3 million), Ratta said.

Some of the pirated software included copies of MS Windows 95,
which, officially, has only just hit the market, Microsoft
Encarta 95, Software Xpress and Microsoft Office, all of which
sell for less than half the original prices and are usually
poorly packaged.

The four arrested were identified as Hari Kurniawan, 28,
Zulkarnain Halim, 30, Jeong Chun Kwong, 35, Mawardi, 30 and
Sutarno, 20. They will be charged under article 44 of the 1987
Law on Copyrights. If found guilty, they face a maximum of seven
years in prison and a fine of Rp 100 million ($44,000).

Lt. Col. Nian Syafuddin, the head of the National Police's
Economic Crime Investigation unit, which conducted the raid, said
that the pirated CD-ROMs were probably from China and shipped to
Indonesia via Hong Kong or Singapore.

"We don't believe that Indonesians have the capability of
reproducing compact disks," Nian said at a media briefing.

Ratta reaffirmed the police's intention to continue with
similar operations. "We will continue to strengthen intellectual
property rights protection."

The massive police sweep was immediately hailed by the
Washington-based Business Software Alliance (BSA). The group
represents leading U.S. software brands and has filed complaints
with the police about copyright infringements in Indonesia.

"A clear message was sent to Jakarta dealers and distributors
of unlicensed and counterfeit software that their illegal and
criminal activity will no longer be tolerated," BSA said in a
statement made available in Jakarta yesterday.

90 percent

The BSA, which represents such software products as Autodesk,
Adobe, Lotus, Microsoft, Novell and WordPerfect, estimates that
software piracy in Indonesia exceeds 90 percent.

"These dealers distribute products containing viruses that
cause substantial damage to a personal computer, and deny the
public from obtaining the benefits when purchasing original
software such as technical support and fully operational licensed
software applications," BSA vice president Ron Eckstrom said.

"These dealers of illegal software damage Indonesia's
international reputation and foster an environment where it is
virtually impossible for a local software industry to develop and
flourish."

Last April, after securing a pledge of cooperation from China,
viewed then as one of the world's largest copyright violators,
Washington indicated that it was targeting Indonesia in its next
campaign to ensure greater intellectual property rights
protection for American software products.

"These raids demonstrate the Indonesian government's
commitment to eradicate rampant software infringement in
Indonesia by strongly enforcing the Indonesian copyright laws. As
the level of software theft in Indonesia is reduced, the local
and international software industry will flourish, resulting in
the creation of thousands of jobs and an infusion of
international investment in high tech industries," Eckstrom said.

Ratta confirmed that police acted after receiving information
from BSA through its Indonesian legal representatives,
Hadiputranto & Associates. (bsr/emb)