Melaka first state in Malaysia to pledge zero-piracy, launches registry

  • State governments and BSA to cooperate on Zero Piracy 2013 campaign towards genuine software verification and management
  • LMR360 registry and software aids companies in managing and updating software licenses, and acquiring compliance certification

Melaka first state in Malaysia to pledge zero-piracy, launches registryTHE Melaka state government, in conjunction with the Business Software Alliance (BSA), became the first state government in Malaysia to make a zero-piracy pledge.
 
The Zero Piracy 2013 campaign will see cooperation between state governments and the BSA towards genuine software verification and management, Roland Chan, senior director of marketing, Asia Pacific BSA, told Digital News Asia (DNA) via email.

This would be realized through BSA's Licence Management Registry 360 (LMR360), which allows for companies to employ the use of LMR360 software in managing and updating software licenses, and ultimately acquiring certification on declaring compliance, he said.
 
LMR360 was officially launched late last year, and would now be complemented by the Zero Piracy Campaign. Some Malaysian companies have already signed up, he claimed, though he declined to say how many, adding however that over 300 businesses attended the launch in Melaka last week.
 
LMR360 will be rolled out in additional states as well, Chan said, adding that plans and schedules for the other states were currently being finalized.
 
When asked why a company would want to register, he said: “The most compelling reason for a company to register would be to be seen as a credible and trusted business partner, as international trade expectations and governance standards, particularly that of US businesses, will require compliance as one of the prerequisites in doing business.
 
“Secondly, in light of the Malaysian Government’s increasing focus on protecting intellectual property rights, stolen or illegal IT will attract raids and penalties, both of which will be damaging to business continuity and reputation,” he said.
 
He pointed to the lawsuits recently filed by the state of California against two international apparel manufacturers for allegedly gaining an unfair competitive advantage over US companies by using pirated software in the production of clothing imported and sold in California.
 
Melaka first state in Malaysia to pledge zero-piracy, launches registryThe companies concerned, based in China and India, were accused of not paying licensing fees for software, including products manufactured by Adobe, Microsoft, Symantec and others.
 
The complaint alleges that the foreign apparel manufacturers who have not paid software licensing fees have a significant cost advantage in the low-margin business of apparel manufacturing, shipment and sales.
 
“Through LMR360, companies can manage their own software, easily demonstrate their software compliance, and connect with buyers interested in doing business with ethical companies” said Chan (pic).
 
Malaysian businesses need to be compliant-ready as the expectation to be competitive and ethical becomes a key requirement to establish trust, he said. 
 
“In this day and age, a reference to a trusted, law-abiding supplier could mean the difference between timely delivery of quality products, and a failed order due to production delays. Through LMR360, this is our way of helping to showcase Melaka companies to the world,” Chan said in a speech at the official launch in Melaka last week.
 
“The latest figures released through the BSA-IDC Global Software Piracy Study in May 2012, record Malaysia as having a PC software piracy rate of 55%. However, despite a decrease of one percentage point over the previous year, the commercial value of pirated software increased by an additional US$39 million to US$657 million.
 
“This phenomenon is not unique -- the size of the PC market is merely growing at a much faster rate than the decrease in piracy rates,” he said at the LMR360 and Zero-Piracy campaign launch officiated by Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Ali Rustam.
 
Chan also referred to a poll where it was revealed that 51% of computer users in Malaysia admitted that they had acquired pirated software, with 48% of the admitted software pirates saying that they acquired software illegally “all of the time,” “most of the time” or “occasionally.”
 
LMR360 is the first and only registry of its kind, the BSA said. It works by providing companies a simple four-step process towards registration. Companies first create an account, list the software publishers and products that are deployed on their systems, enter corresponding entitlement information, and have a dedicated executive representative of the company approve the information to become an LMR360-registered company.
 
Companies can subsequently exercise real-time evaluation and control over company-wide software deployment and use, and manage licensing requirements when needed, the BSA added.
 
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Aware of risks, Malaysians persist with bad online habits: Survey

Piracy rate dips, but Malaysians think illegal software is okay

 
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