Pakistan made remarkable progress in anti-piracy efforts: Microsoft

[Naveed Yaseen]

KARACHI: Pakistan has made remarkable progress in its anti-piracy attempts following raids by law enforcement agencies (LEA) on resellers who were selling high quality counterfeit software to local consumers.

A Microsoft statement issued here on Monday said that the local software industry is lauding the efforts of the police as this is the first time that the police in Pakistan have been involved in raids where high quality counterfeit Microsoft software has been seized.

The statement pointed out that the violations of IPR in Pakistan are affecting the software industry. It said that the Business Software Alliance, a not-for-profit organization, represents the global software industry and promotes intellectual property rights awareness worldwide, also lauded the efforts of the local LEA in controlling the counterfeit trade in the country.

Aly Harakeh, BSA’s spokesperson in North Africa, Eastern Mediterranean and Pakistan said this problem is a serious threat to consumers and businesses and needs to be dealt with by imposing sentences that act as a deterrent to other traders dealing in counterfeit software.

Salman Siddiqui, Genuine Software Manager at Microsoft, said Microsoft will work with the government to intensify its campaign against the open and unchecked sale of pirated software in the country.

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