NASSCOM, BSA to check piracy with new hotline

Business Software Alliance (BSA) and NASSCOM have announced the launch of a
new anti-piracy hotline in order to check software piracy in India, which
resulted in the loss of $367 million in 2004.

The anti-piracy hotline number 1600110033 is toll free and any individual
report-ing under-licensing and/or use of illegal software at a work-place may
qualify for a reward of up to Rs five lakh, subject to terms and conditions.

To help businesses under-stand the damaging effects of piracy and under
licensing, BSA and NASSCOM will also be launching anti-piracy market-ing
campaigns. The campaigns would also focus on the youth segment, specially the
Indian students.

Speaking on the occasion, Jeffrey Hardee, VP and Regi-onal Director, BSA
Asia-Pacific said, "The launch of anti-piracy hotline validates BSA's
vision to help all businesses address licensing issues and maximize their
software resources."

He added that the benefits of curbing piracy in India are enormous. Citing an
IDC economic study, he said that a 10 point drop in India's piracy rate from
2003 to 2006 could add $2.1 billion to the GDP, create more than 48,000 new jobs
and generate $92 million in tax revenue.

Speaking on the occasion, Kiran Karnik, President, NASSCOM said,
"Awareness plays a very important role in curbing piracy. The NASSCOM-BSA
alliance would work closely with software resellers to educate end customers and
corporate about the perils of piracy, as usage of pirated soft-ware not only
stifles innova-tion, but also impacts the growth of domestic market."

In addition to the hotline, concerned parties can report corporate end-user
piracy via the BSA website at www.bsa. org/india and also obtain information on
software asset management (SAM) and download SAM tools on a free-to-use trial
basis.

CyberMedia News

New Delhi