While the company did not reveal any figures, its marketing manager for ASEAN and Indochina Kwok Ying Yao claimed four million users use Autodesk software in areas as diverse as manufacturing and industrial design to office automation solutions. Unfortunately, as many as ten times that figure use pirated versions.
"We are still in the midst of our quarter and thus cannot reveal to what extent sales have improved, but we have seen our sales here rise," Kwok told a media briefing today.
But Kwok was quick to add that Malaysia was not the main culprit when it comes to software piracy as other countries in the region were just as affected by the illegal production and peddling of software.
Malaysia makes up 25 percent of Autodesk's ASEAN operation with its marketing and sales office for the region located in Kuala Lumpur.
Autodesk also unveiled its new, improved Web-enabled design solutions for the Internet, the AutoCAD 2000i, which enables clients easier access to design information which leads to faster cycle time, better information and lower operational costs.
"This is going to change the way designers work. By seamlessly moving into the Internet applications, Autodesk also wants to build market-specific portals for construction and architecture," Kwok said.
Autodesk also claims it is the only design software company that touches on every part of the design process.
Its AutoCad product manager Andrew Ramm said last year Autodesk clients spent about US$500 million (RM1.9 billion) on courrier services to deliver design blueprints and other critical information to fellow designers or clients.
"We are putting virtually all information on the Net so the design community which is essentially a multinational group to work better and more efficiently," Kwok explained.
Ramm also stressed it was quite easy for clients to transfer from the current Autodesk flagship application, AutoCAD2000 which has limited Internet capacities to the AutoCAD2000i platform.
"For current AutoCAD2000 users, we provide CDs which contain a number of utilities to help look at all existing files and convert it to the right format for the improved version," he added.
"Of course, for older generation software, there will be lots more steps to take before getting on the new platform," Ramm said.
Autodesk revenues for last year was US$820 million with the US making up 43 percent of its market share, Europe, 36 percent and Asia Pacific contributed 21 percent.
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