[Commons-Law] Report piracy, earn reward

[Prashant Iyengar]

Report piracy, earn reward

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=89096

http://www.nalsartech.org/tikiwiki/tiki-read_article.php?articleId=3952 

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New Delhi, April 26  Eavesdropping on pirated software users and reporting the 
crime can now fetch you up to a cool Rs 5 lakh. All you need to do is call 
the anti-piracy toll-free number. Any individual can report under-licensing 
and/or use of illegal software at a workplace and qualify for a reward.

Launching an anti-piracy hotline toll-free number (1600-11-0033) on the 
occasion of World Intellectual Property Rights day, science and technology 
minister Kapil Sibal said, "In the last 20-30 years, there has been a 
movement in favour of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). Protection of IPRs 
is needed to bring back the returns for those who make investments for 
generation of intellectual property," Mr Sibal said.

However, enforcement of laws towards protection of IPR related to all areas, 
including software and drugs, becomes difficult if needs of different 
communities are not taken care of, Mr Sibal said. "While on one hand, we say 
computerisation must reach every village, prices of software are high," he 
said adding, this leads to piracy.

The move by the government to combat piracy comes in the wake of mounting 
losses faced by the IT industry. As per estimates made by Business Software 
Alliance and IDC, India had a piracy rate of 73% in 2003 with losses 
amounting to $367 million. The domestic IT software and services market was 
around Rs 16 billion in FY 2003-04, with software products accounting for Rs 
2 billion.