RI among worst offenders of property rights

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.
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