Crackdown on corporate users of unlicensed computer software
In a demonstration of the government's resolve to curb the menace of piracy, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) initiated a crackdown on corporate users of unlicensed computer software, says a press release issued here on Wednesday.Acting on a complaint, the FIA this week raided a large pharmaceutical company with offices in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, which was allegedly using pirated software, in other words, unlicensed software.
The production, sale, copy, purchase or usage of unlicensed software is an offence, punishable under Section 66 of Chapter XIV of the Copyright Ordinance 1962 and can lead to criminal prosecution for violation of the law.
The FIA raid resulted in the confiscation of computers loaded with unlicensed software, including Microsoft(r) Windows and Microsoft office.
The use of unlicensed software by a large company of this nature reflects the scale to which the issue of software piracy has proliferated into penetrated the country.
According to a study conducted by the IDC for the Business Software Alliance (BSA), released on May 2011, the rate of software piracy in Pakistan was 84 percent during the past year.
As a result, the country is now amongst those with one of the highest piracy rates in the world.
Kamal Ahmed, Country Manager Microsoft Pakistan remarked, 'Software piracy is a significant threat locally and we as a nation need to take concrete steps to curb it.
It is unacceptable when profitable commercial organisations indulge in software piracy with complete disregard to the law, often in a manner which gives them an unfair cost advantage over Pakistan companies with licensed software.
Promoting a culture that respects IPR, in software and other industries, will attract greater foreign investment in our economy and also provide an incentive to local entrepreneurs to explore new ideas."-PR
Copyright Business Recorder, 2012