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What
are
the initiatives of Microsoft at grass root levels to discourage
software piracy?
Software
piracy is an industry-wide problem that has significant impact on the
economy and affects legitimate businesses that have to compete with
those selling pirated and counterfeit software. Today, software
piracy is one of the biggest threats to the growing software product
industry in India.
Software Piracy Rates and Losses:
According to the Seventh Annual BSA and IDC Global Software Piracy
Study, piracy levels in India dropped to 65 percent in the year 2009
from 68 percent in 2008, a total drop of nine percent since 2004. The
losses caused by software piracy continue to remain above $ two billion
for India. According to a
study by BSA, The Economic Benefits of Lowering PC Software Piracy
2008, a ten point reduction in PC software piracy would deliver an
additional 44,000 new jobs, $200 million in tax revenues, and $3.1
billion in economic growth of India.
How
serious is the nature of software piracy and what are the threats to
PC?
Obtaining
and using pirated and counterfeit software can pose a serious PC
security threat to organizations, individuals and governments. Often,
counterfeit or pirated software is embedded with malicious and
dangerous codes and programs that can lead to a corrupted system,
unauthorized intrusion, a loss of confidential data, hacking of
online bank accounts, lack of control over the computer, identity
theft etc. Consumers spending millions each year on pirated copies
unsuspectingly end up financing cyber criminals and organized crime
syndicates in generation of illegal money. This threatens the
integrity of the software industry and the security of home, business
and government computer systems.
Please
highlight the Microsoft's initiatives. And how important is your
reseller and partner ecosystem in such programs?
As
an industry leader, Microsoft has an obligation to help its partners
and delivers
positive
customer experience from genuine software. Microsoft has adopted a
focused approach on education, engineering and enforcement to
counter and prevent piracy. The endeavor is to work with customers,
businesses and partners to drive awareness for piracy as an issue and
to educate them on how they can work towards minimizing this menace.
Access to original software is one of the most critical elements to
reduce piracy in India. Microsoft has undertaken the initiative to
provide original software online and telephonically, to ensure easy
availability and is also educating discerning consumers about the
value of original software. With respect to enforcement, Microsoft
ensures a level playing field for all its system builder partners.
Microsoft is determined to protect its customer, reseller and partner
ecosystem from the threat and losses associated with piracy.
Microsoft is also to prevent counterfeiters from taking advantage of
innocent victims and gaining an unfair advantage over our honest
partners.
What
are the key anti-piracy initiatives undertaken by Microsoft?
Some
of the major anti-piracy initiatives of Microsoft include:
Telephonic
availability:
With key
aggregators in the top eight cities (five metros plus Pune,
Ahmedabad, Hyderabad), customers can call-in and get
FPP (retail packs) delivered to their home/office. As a
result, Microsoft's original software is available across 1068
Indian cities. Customers can pay for their software through credit
card, cheque, draft or
Microsoft eCommerce Platform - The portal,
www.microsoftstore.co.in, is a one-stop shop for all Microsoft FPP
(retail packs) products, including Windows 7,
servers,
XBox and games. In the long term, it aims to empower
smaller businesses with ease of licensing the software they use and
essentially purchase in relation to their expansion needs. Volume
licenses of Microsoft are also available on this platform and a tie
up with ICICI bank and Skypak enables easy payment options and free
cheque pick up facility across 52 cities in the country.
Get
Genuine Solution (GGS) - Microsoft's GGS is valid for Windows 7
and is a practical solution available to SMB customers who wish to
legalize licenses on
License agreements through Microsoft resellers.
What
are
the channel awareness programs?
Regular
updates on new product launches — Microsoft holds regular
events to assist its channel partners in understanding and addressing
customer queries on new products. Microsoft sends monthly newsletters
to channel to provide them with a greater understanding of products,
programs, events, launches and the value of original, as well as on
how they can upsell to their customers and service their requirements
better.
The company is working with various channel associations
like
TAIT, Confed-ITA, COMPASS,
SITA, PCAIT etc against the menace of piracy by promoting the
value of genuine and creating a clean, safe and healthy and honest
reseller ecosystem.
Microsoft also has a Partners Resource Center
that contains all the information on Microsoft's Value of Original
campaign. There are two distinct identifiable features that a
consumer must keep in mind to ascertain the authenticity of the
operating system in the PC — one is the Certificate of Authenticity
(COA) and the second is the edge-to-edge hologram CD.
What
is
Software Asset Management (SAM)?
Software
Asset Management (SAM): SAM is a method of taking the customer
through streamlining his software expenses and reaching the optimal
software configuration based on the size of the organization. Through
SAM, Microsoft's aim is to inculcate among organizations the
respect for original software and regard for Intellectual Property
Rights (IPR) that impacts upon India's credibility as a knowledge
hub.
Windows Activation Technologies: These are
technologies that help users differentiate between original and
counterfeit software and help in validations and activation of
original software.
Office Genuine Advantage (OGA):
Customers can volunteer to participate in this online program by
accepting an automatic notification. Customers can then validate
their Microsoft Office software and make instant purchase of genuine
Office through an online purchase.
Can
you give some insight on the consumer-oriented educational and
enforcement program?
Consumer Action Day:
Microsoft recently announced the launch of new consumer led education
and enforcement initiative to reduce the menace of piracy in the
country, on the basis of the voluntarily submitted consumer reports
on piracy. The move aims to protect consumers from the risks and
perils of pirated/counterfeit software and to educate, enable and
empower consumers to fight and reject piracy by reporting instances
of software piracy. Since January, 2009, over 2000 complaints were
received by Microsoft India while globally there were 150,000
reports.
The
counterfeit software market is apparently thriving at the places like
Nehru Place, Palika Bazaar and Wazirpur in Delhi. What is the level
of support from sub-distributors and resellers as well as local
police and administration?
Under
M
association engagement programs, we hold seminars, sponsor them and
participate in various channel events. Through these events, we
educate and spread awareness in the reseller community on the perils
of piracy, risks associated with usage and distribution of
pirated/counterfeit software. With PCAIT (Nehru Place based channel
association), we have a long relation and would continue to engage
with them in the fight against piracy and safeguarding the interest
of genuine reseller community, in the ultimate interest of our
customers. Our primary focus is on preventing our software from being
pirated so that the honest reseller community remains protected and
that the respect for our intellectual property is maintained across
India.