More than 4,000 copies of Microsoft products were seized in police raids of pirated software in Singapore. Seven raids were conducted in October, in island heartlands including Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio, Marine Parade and Bedok North.
This is because activity at the traditional center of pirated goods, Sim Lim Square, has largely been eradicated by police action. The raids turned up more than 4,000 pieces of illegal Microsoft goods.
About 80 percent of the items were the software giant's Windows XP system, which premiered Oct. 25 and arrived in Singapore a day later. The pirated CDs were retailing at $2.75 ($5 Singapore) to $5.50 ($10 Singapore) apiece, compared with $213 for the genuine Windows XP Home edition, and $312 for the Professional edition. |
Microsoft corporate attorney Katharine Bostick said in a statement that the pirates wanted to exploit the worldwide marketing effort for Windows XP.
"Not only are these pirates ripping off legitimate software retailers," she said, "they are exploiting the creativity, hard work and investment made by software developers and industry partners."
According to research commissioned by the Business Software Alliance, Singapore suffers from a 50 percent piracy rate--higher than the global average of 37 percent.
Source: Cnet.com
