Microsoft cites software piracy hotspots
Reuters | at | by Mike
Microsoft said on Wednesday software piracy was on the rise worldwide and China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia were the "hotspots" in Asia where major counterfeiting activities thrived. Katharine Bostick, Microsoft's senior corporate attorney, said penalties imposed by many governments were not tough enough, resulting in the growth of large-scale manufacturing and distribution of counterfeit products. "It involves organized crime," Bostick told a technology conference in Cyberjaya, Malaysia's software hub.
Bostick said data from watchdog body Business Software Alliance, in which Microsoft is a member, showed that the global piracy rate rose by one percent to 40 percent of software products sold in 2001.