What this means in simple terms is that currently six to seven out of 10 business software purchases still consist of the pirated version.
Software piracy in Asia has taken a toll in terms of monetary losses--from US$2.8 billion in 1999 to US$4.1 billion this year.
Microsoft Malaysia managing director Butt Wai Choon said the latest seizure of pirated Windows XP OS in Penang recently showed the government is taking a tough stance against piracy.
According to the seizure report in a local daily, 600 pirated copies of Windows XP were recovered from a courier company in Jalan Dato Koyah, Penang.
The seizure was conducted by the Penang state Domestic Trade and Consumers Affairs Department.
In an e-mail response to Malaysia.CNET.com on Monday, Butt said these sort of incidents would not affect Microsoft's plans to launch the OS here.
He also added Windows XP was currently in Beta 2 version. Since its availability, Microsoft has distributed copies of the Beta version to corporate customers and software developers for early testing.
Customers should be aware of the fact that illegal software can damage computers. Pirated software could contain viruses, missing functionalities, he warned.
He pointed out that there is no short term fix to end piracy. It is a long term effort and requires help from various parties--software manufacturers, the Government, PC resellers, and consumers in general.
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