Thesun 2009-10-13 Page06 Pirated Software Seized From College

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theSun

| TUESDAY OCTOBER 13 2009

news without borders

Pirated software seized from college PUTRAJAYA: The Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Ministry seized RM794,300 worth of pirated software from a private institution of higher learning in Kota Kemuning, Selangor, on Thursday. The ministry’s Enforcement Division director general, Mohd Roslan Mahayudin, said it was the first educational institution to be investigated under the Copyrights Act 1997. “Our officers found 58 copies of infringing software installed in eight computers in school’s administrative office computers,” he said, The computers, worth an estimated RM24,000, were also seized. Roslan told a news conference yesterday the ministry’s officers also raided an IT solutions provider based in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday and seized 74 copies of pirated software worth about RM125,800 installed in eight computers worth around RM21,000. Among the software seized in both raids were different versions of programmes from Adobe, Autodesk, Microsoft and Solidworks. So far this year, the ministry had raided 30 companies suspected of using pirated software in business and seized 178 computers, 2,106 copies of

pirated or unlicensed software with a total of RM7.6 million. Asked whether the ministry was only focusing on the end-user instead of the source and manufacturers of the pirated software, Roslan said his officers were still gunning for the manufacturers and had raided two pirated software factories in March and May this year. Business Software Alliance Asia Pacific Anti-Piracy senior director Tarun Sawney, who was present at the news conference, said that software piracy was different from other forms of piracy like music- and movie-based piracy in that the source was the company using the pirated software and not the factory. He lauded the Malaysian government for its commitment to protecting intellectual property rights in Malaysia as the 30 cases filed by the ministry was the highest in comparison to the rest of Asia. “The regional average in Asia Pacific for piracy is around 61% whereas Malaysia only has a 59% piracy rate, which 2% lower than the rest of the region. Also, over the last four to five years, the piracy rate for software has never gone up, it either stays the same or has gone down. – Bernama

Koh (left) hands over the pledge of sponsorship to Chan.

Great Eastern hopes staff build ties at hunt by Meena L. Ramadas [email protected]

THESUN Motor Hunt returns yet again to whet the appetites of adventure-seeking individuals. For main sponsor Great Eastern Life Assurance, however, the motor hunt is more than just five hours of fun. Its director and chief executive officer, Koh Yaw Hui, said the motor hunt is an opportunity for its staff to build relationships. “Of course, we want our staff to have fun but more importantly, it is also an avenue to promote communication,” he said at the launch of the motor hunt and the handing over of a pledge of sponsorship to Chan Kien Sing, managing director of Sun Media Corporation Sdn Bhd, at Great Eastern Mall yesterday. “It’s very much about the journey than the destination.” Koh said Great Eastern staff will seize the opportunity to build stronger bonds with business associates, friends

and acquaintances. About 80 Great Eastern staff and agents will be taking part in the event, to be held on Sunday, Nov 8. It will be followed by a dinner and prizegiving at the Sime Darby Convention Centre. Koh said Great Eastern promotes healthy lifestyle among its staff. “We want to let people know that we are not just an insurance company,” he said. The company has been sponsoring theSun Motor Hunt since 2004. “We will have a briefing session for our staff to build awareness about the motor hunt,” he said. theSun Motor Hunt 2009, which will be limited to the first 250 cars, will take the participants around the Klang Valley, where they will try to break the clues and look for treasures. This year, electronics giant Samsung is sponsoring RM200,000 worth of its products as the main prizes. The other sponsors are HSBC, Sports Toto, Kao Biore, McDonald’s and Northport.

The other partners and supporters are Petronas, PVSL Sound & Light, Mix FM, Sime Darby Convention Centre, Elken, Milo, Nescafe, Nesvita 3IN1 Green Tea, Revive Isotonic, Dentyne, Clorets, Ambipur Car Perfume, Protex Soap, Ava Fabric Softener, Harimau Kuat Dishwashing Liquid, Win Fabricare Powder Detergent, M&M’s, CLEAR Unisex Shampoo, CLEAR Men’s Shampoo, Kenny Rogers Roasters, TESCO, Bata and Berjaya Air. Time Out Solutions will return as the clerk-of-course for the event, which promises to be fun for the whole family. So, hurry, download the entry forms from www. sun2surf.com or www.timeoutsolutions.com now. The closing date is Nov 3 or when the target of 250 cars has been achieved.

Blogs gaining upper hand, says don KUALA LUMPUR: It has to be admitted that blogs, which are part of the new generation media, have wielded great influence and swayed thinking among the Malaysian public. For certain reasons, blogs have gradually but distinctly usurped the influence that used to be exerted by the conventional media such as TV, radio and newspapers. The emergence of blogs has reflected society’s awareness on the importance of having information, but this “leeway” has provided room for manipulation by irresponsible quarters. To what extent have the trials created by this new media impacted the society and nation? Universiti Malaya’s Media Studies Faculty lecturer Prof Madya Dr Abu Hassan Hasbullah said the new media is like a “new trust” that breaks all boundaries of politics, economy, culture, ethnicity and religion.

This new media wields great influence over the younger generation as they are IT-savvy and have the “urge to know”. Hence there are concerns among the authorities that parties with vested interest would manipulate this new media to benefit their subversive aims. A recent example was how blogs were manipulated to create friction in MalaysiaIndonesia ties. Malaysians are given the liberty and access to gain whatever information they want, apart from airing their views online via blogs and news portals as provided by the Communication and Multimedia Act 1998. This Act also empowers the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission as well as the police to haul up those who breached the rules. Among the provisions of the Act on this are Section 211

and Section 233 on repulsive and obscene contents as well as abuse of the network facilities and services respectively. As of last July, the authorities have investigated 52 cases under sections 233/211 involving e-mails and websites. According to the commission, the authorities have charged 11 cases in court involving eight individuals alleged to have sent comments that insulted the Sultan of Perak. Even in the United States, there were bloggers who were hauled up for breaching the country’s laws. In Malaysia, cyber threat is on the rise and this has drawn the attention of Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim. Rais said cyber threat had turned out to be more grievous than the visible dangers as it could infiltrate the minds of the younger generation undetected. – Bernama