[ossig] can the ossig community help to do something +ve ?

[nplee <nplee@xxxxxxxxx>]

http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2004/5/26/technology/8065960&sec=technology

Pirated users have until June 1 to legalise software
By RASLAN SHARIF

KUALA LUMPUR: Corporate software users have less than a week to ensure 
their software is legal before the Government kicks off its annual Ops 
Tulen enforcement campaign on June 1.

The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry will begin its 
nationwide sweep of infringing companies on that date, after six months 
of its Tulen Patrol intellectual property protection awareness campaign 
conducted jointly with antipiracy watchdog Business Software Alliance 
(BSA).

"We have reached a stage where we believe we have done enough to educate 
corporate users on the importance of respecting intellectual property," 
Zainal Abidin Mohd Noordin, the ministry's Deputy Director-General, said 
on Tuesday.

The Tulen Patrol campaign saw about 14,000 leaflets distributed to 
companies and business nationwide.

The leaflets sought to educate corporate users on intellectual property 
rights, and also urged them to audit their computers to ensure that they 
were using legal software.

Enforcement officers and BSA officials also conducted about 100 visits 
to business and factory premises to bring home the message.

The BSA said about half of the companies that received the courtesy 
calls had responded by enquiring on ways to legalise the software they 
were using.

"After Tulen Patrol, we feel the time to launch an enforcement campaign 
has come," said Zainal. "There is still time to comply ... they've got 
another week."

The BSA believes there are still large numbers of companies that have 
yet to legalise their software.

"We believe it's a pretty high number ... in the thousands, if not tens 
of thousands," said Tarun Sawney, BSA enforcement director for Asia.

He added that "we have information on who is using illegal software ... 
there is a lot."

Business software piracy in Malaysia stood at 68% in 2002, according to 
the latest available figures from the BSA.

The Government has been very active in combating software piracy via 
campaigns such as Ops Tulen, in an effort to further bring down the 
piracy rate.

According to the Ministry, about RM1mil of illegal software was seized, 
780 businesses raided and over RM300,000 worth of computer equipment 
seized in various enforcement campaigns since October 2002.

Zainal said there were about 10 cases of software copyright infringement 
in court currently, with seven more "in the process."

Despite active enforcement efforts, corporate software piracy has shown 
stubborn resistance. The Government and BSA said they were trying to 
tackle the problem by conducting more comprehensive and extensive 
awareness campaigns like Tulen Patrol, hand in hand with enforcement.

Foreign copyright owners are beginning to show signs of frustration. On 
Monday, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shafie Apdal 
warned that Malaysia risked being blacklisted by the World Trade 
Organisation if piracy was left unchecked.

Zainal denied that the June 1 Ops Tulen campaign was related to that 
possibility.

"We are not taking action because of it, but as part of our ongoing and 
active enforcement of intellectual property rights," he said.

Parliament passed an amendment to the Copyright Act last October, which 
put in place a RM2,000 minimum fine for each infringing copy.

Companies found guilty could be fined up to RM10,000 for each copy, 
while company directors could be fined the same, or jailed up to five 
years, or both.

While the penalties for software piracy are stiff, no company or company 
director has received the maximum penalty, which BSA said might 
effectively deter others from flouting the law.

"The laws are there," said Tarun. "You could say that five years in jail 
would be a deterrent sentence."

		



-- 

best wishes.
/nan phin

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.


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