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Technology Stocks : How high will Microsoft fly? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: johnd who wrote (38561)	2/25/2000 5:39:00 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 74651

Microsoft Sees Piracy as Biggest Enemy Microsoft Vietnam called for a war against software piracy in Vietnam or else not only its software but the country's IT development would fail. Announcing the launch of Windows 2000 operating system in Vietnam from March 7-10, Ngo Phuc Cuong, chief representative of Microsoft Vietnam reiterated that the big challenge for Windows 2000, as well as, other software products in the country is still piracy. "It is necessary to have a 'war' to fight against all efforts of software piracy in Vietnam. Without such a war, not only Microsoft fails here, but local IT development will collapse," he said. Initial Measures Microsoft has begun to try to address the problem by "educational mailing." The company is sending mail to local users to remind them that the software they are using is probably illegal and asking them to follow fair business practices. Cuong said these first efforts will be aimed at both local and foreign businesses. He said there are five forms of prevailing piracy in the country including end-user piracy, counterfeiting, hard disk loading, Internet and hardware piracy. According to estimates, 97% of the software used in the country is pirated. The authorized software is used mainly by international organizations and representative offices. "Vietnam's software industry has great potential, but very high piracy rates have prevented it from developing," he said. He said the government had better take the lead on this issue and set a good example to all local and international organizations. Most assemblers of the clone computers, however, blame the "unaffordable high cost of software" as the main reason for installing illegal software. Dr Mai Anh, general secretary of Vietnam Association of Information Processing (VAIP) was quoted in the local press as saying, "if Microsoft reduces the prices to a level acceptable by local assemblers, the problem may be solved." (David Tran, Ho Chi Minh City: Feb. 2000 Issue, Nikkei Electronics Asia)