Microsoft Announces Worldwide Anti-Piracy Blitz
High-tech behemoth Microsoft unveiled its Global Anti-Piracy Day on Tuesday, a simultaneous launch of education initiatives and enforcement actions in 49 countries on six continents to combat the sophisticated, illegal trade of pirated and counterfeit software. The programs include intellectual property awareness campaigns, business partnerships, consumer outreach, local law enforcement training, and new legal actions against alleged counterfeiters and pirates.
The anti-piracy day serves as a 24-hour snapshot of the range of initiatives that take place on an ongoing basis around the world, the company said in a press release. For example, in the United States, Microsoft filed 20 civil lawsuits in federal court in nine states against resellers alleged to be distributing computers with preloaded unlicensed and/or counterfeit Microsoft Windows XP Professional and Microsoft Office software. In Brazil, Microsoft has partnered with the American Chamber of Commerce to launch an educational blog and in Turkey, Microsoft announced it is providing the government with training sessions on cyber crimes and their impact.
“Software piracy and counterfeiting is a sophisticated, global trade with a damaging impact on consumers, businesses and economies, and Microsoft is committed to working with others around the world to stay a step ahead of this illegal industry,” Microsoft's associate general counsel David Finn said. INTERPOL IP chief John Newton added that transnational criminal organizations are involved in counterfeiting, which is "a global problem with global sources of supply." "This is why we need to work together -- the public and the private sectors -- to stop this trade."
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