Microsoft intervenes inTanzanian market to curb software pirates

After gold the new stampede to strip Tanzania of its precious minerals has shifted to copper, with foreigners rushing in to invest in mining and smelting of the malleable metal whose ore is incredibly rich in rare, precious metals, so The Express can reveal today.
The Express is informed of the investment rush as the country continues to register more copper reserves. The sites include Mpwapwa, (Dodoma), Njombe (Iringa), Mpanda (Rukwa), Nachingwea (Lindi), Same (Kilimanjaro), Handeni (Tanga), Ludewa (Iringa), just to mention a few.
Under the initiative, the government is bound to either benefit in terms of job creation and revenue collection, or record massive losses from the would-be large scale investors currently operating under the cover of local and facilitates healthy sustainable growth.
He said commercial soft0ware is a more than US$175 billion industry By Moses John,
Dar es Salaam
Computer giant Microsoft has intervened in the market to curb software piracy which is disastrously increasing in Tanzania to the detriment of users and dealers, The Express has established.
Terry Odiko, Microsoft Representative in Tanzania, confirmed that counterfeit is still affecting the Tanzanian market in different ways, because it attacks the technology of software which connects communities, drives economic development by fostering local economies worldwide that generates jobs for 2.3 million people globally.
The trade in counterfeit software hurts our honest channel partners who are just trying to earn a living.
Partners who must compete with pirates lose more than software revenue; they lose system sales and the opportunity to service those customers over the yearsî, said Odiko Customers who purchase counterfeit software are paying good money for inferior products that are not eligible for product updates or technical support, and which expose them to security threats such as viruses and other forms of malware.
According to Odiko, pirated software does not create jobs for students, developers and IT professionals, does not provide sources of revenue for local companies, and does not contribute to local economies; the only people getting rich from piracy are the pirates.
A 10 percentage point reduction in PC software piracy alone would deliver an additional 600,000 new jobs, $24 billion in new tax revenues, and $141 billion in economic growth worldwide, according to a January, 21008 Piracy Impact Model Study.
The Microsoft official said his company works in partnership with law enforcement agencies and private investigators both across regions and in-country, to co-operate with anti-piracy investigations as appropriate.
ìMicrosoft cannot send individuals to jail; we are a company, not a court of justice.
Where appropriate and on request from law enforcement or government agencies, Microsoft will work to provide courts with the evidence they need to convict those who have been manufacturing, distributing or trading in counterfeit softwareî.
ìHowever, we are unable to bring criminal cases into court. We can, and do, file civil lawsuits against those who knowingly engage in illegal trade in or manufacture of Microsoft software.
The first step, however, is always to engage with the individuals in question, request they cease and desist, and only then will we move forward with litigation, if they refuse to stop,î he said.
Legal action can result in illegal traders being fined, forced to pay damages, and sent to jail. In some instances, Microsoft will settle out of court with an illegal trader.
This course of action will see the trader paying Microsoft substantial damages and ceasing all illegal trading, in the case of Tanzania, Microsoft works with the government through COSOTA.
He however said the company has many activities and investments directed at combating software counterfeiting.
This and other forms of software piracy are focused across three strategic areas, which are 1st education, where Microsoft is raising awareness among customers and resellers about the risks of counterfeit software to enable them to better protect themselves and ensure that their software licensing is in order.
Microsoft Web sites such as How to Tell, at http://www.microsoft.com/resources/howtotell provide detailed information and examples of counterfeit software. Microsoft is also working along with industry partners to make consumers aware of the increasing risks associated with acquiring and installing counterfeit software, such as exposure to critical issues and identity theft.
2nd engineering, Microsoft is continuing to invest in anti-counterfeiting technologies and product features that protect its intellectual property and alert consumers to the presence of counterfeit software.
These technologies include improvements in programs such as Windows Genuine Advantage.
3rd Enforcement, Microsoft actively supports government officials and law enforcement agencies in their actions against software counterfeiters, where he said already this year thousands of reports of counterfeit software have been filed by consumers through the Microsoft Windows Genuine Advantage Web site.