Karnataka - Bangalore   

Software piracy thriving in city despite raids

K. Satyamurty

It has become easy to get unlicensed copies of some popular software packages in the city

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT firms, including the multinationals, are beginning to get sceptical about the State Government's seriousness in checking piracy. Periodical raids not withstanding, it has become easy to get unlicensed copies of some popular software packages in the city.

A year ago, the Government had announced those indulging in piracy would be booked under the stringent Karnataka Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, Drug Offenders, Gamblers, Goondas, Immoral Traffic Offenders and Slum Grabbers Act, 1985, which is commonly known as the Goonda Act.

The S.M. Krishna Government had declared that it would make Bangalore a "zero-piracy city."

The illegal trade is thriving in the city despite occasional raids by the police on some business establishments on Brigade Road, S.P. Road, S.J. Park Road and in Majestic areas, where the sale of pirated software and music albums is rampant.

Though checking pirated software has become a challenge the world over, the city police are barely beginning to accord priority to the issue. As a senior police official says, maintaining law and order and checking commonplace crimes such as murders, robberies and thefts are still the priority of the police here.

Unlike in many other States, the local police do not have a full-fledged anti-piracy unit and most of the policemen are not trained in detecting pirated software. On the other hand, the over-burdened police rarely get time to gather intelligence about the pirated software trade.

Most of the time, it is the members of the Indian Music Industry (IMI), International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) and the Business Software Alliance (BSA), who inform the police about such business. On many occasions, though the police are tipped off about the illegal trade, the officials have difficulty in distinguishing the pirated versions from the genuine ones.

The identification of the pirated articles has been the major hurdle in checking the illegal business, the official said.

The intelligence network of the police with regard to pirated software needs to be strengthened, the industry feels. Setting up of an Anti-piracy Cell involving the police and representatives from the industry would help in checking the illegitimate business.

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Software piracy thriving in city despite raids

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