RI among worst offenders of property rights

JAKARTA (JP): After seven years of being listed on the United Nations' lesser Watch List, Indonesia has been moved to the body's Priority List for rampant intellectual property rights violations.

"The change of status in April happened because not enough effort has been taken to improve the bad condition," said Wayne Eglinton of the Jakarta branch of the Business Software Alliance (BSA).

BSA vice president David Sigler said here yesterday that since the alliance started operating in Jakarta two years ago, only 12 cases of piracy have been reported to the office.

Founded in 1988, BSA is a US-based, non-governmental agency representing computer software companies that detects and takes action against violators. Data presented at a seminar sponsored in part by BSA cited that 99 percent of the software circulating in the Indonesian market is illegal.

Also at the seminar, criminologist Romli Atmasasmita said that grey areas in law enforcement have exacerbated the already lax control of copyright violations.

"For instance, who should be conducting the investigation: the police, prosecutors or civil servants who understand the issue better?" Romli asked.

Eglinton blamed Indonesia's complicated bureaucracy as contributing to the condition.

Irza Ratubagus Sianturi, a representative from the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), said that Indonesian culture, unlike western cultures, has allowed piracy to thrive here.

"Indonesian creators would boast if other people reproduced their works, since no harm was ever intended," Irza said.

Piracy caused software companies to lose an estimated US$118 million last year, the third worst after Thailand and Singapore. (14)