Microsoft to Conduct Raids On Pirates

Microsoft Corporation, a multi-national software company, last Thursday launched an anti-piracy campaign to clamp down on piracy within some Ghanaian companies.

The campaign, the company said, was a nationwide exercise that had already started in Nigeria and Cameroon.

Mr Franck-Alex Thalmas, Microsoft Anti-Piracy Manager in charge of West and Central Africa, told newsmen at a press conference that the company had contracted Tony Lithur and Company, a law firm, to assist it to sustain the fight against piracy in Ghana.

He said an investigation showed that piracy rate in some developing countries including Ghana was above 80 per cent and this was a threat to those countries' investment and revenue generation opportunities.

"Piracy of software retards the socio-economic growth of the nation that practises it. It leads to loss of revenue, efficiency and competitiveness, loss of employment and exposes resellers to severe legal consequences for copyright infringement." Mr Thalmas said many businesses were threatened and many more were out of business because they could not compete with the pricing structure that was associated with illegal software.

A data from Business Software Alliance showed that worldwide, piracy rate in Africa is 90 per cent out of which South Africa accounts for 45 per cent.

Mr Thalmas said companies would be asked to take inventories of their software pack and licenses to attest the legality of the software in usage regarding the law and license agreement.

"If we are satisfied about the information provided we would issue a certificate of compliance to give them the authorisation to use the software," he said.

Mr John Defor, a Research Officer from DAPEG Limited, Marketing Developers of Microsoft Software, said initiating legal actions against software pirates became necessary after persistent efforts to appeal to the perpetrators' conscience failed.

He said Microsoft had conducted investigations and had identified those who are guilty of software piracy and would ensure that they pay for the services.

Mr Defor advised artists to register their works to benefit from the piracy law, PNDC Law 110, which would be amended soon to attract stiffer punishment for the offenders.

Mr Tony Lithur, Microsoft solicitor, said there were many software users who were genuinely unaware that the software on their computers were pirated and stressed the need for the media to educate such people to avoid buying pirated software.