KARACHI, May 18: The Business Software Alliance on Friday reminded all the companies that the 35-day grace period it offered to them for getting licensed software without paying penalties for the past infringement of Copyright Law would end on May 30.

“The grace period has provided both the national and multi-national companies a great opportunity to install licensed software without being raided by the police,” said a spokesman of BSA, a group formed by leading software producers in the world to combat piracy.

The alliance would resume its anti-piracy activities from June 1 against all those companies that did not comply with the Copyright Law, he cautioned. The non-profit organisation was working in cooperation with the government, FIA, police, Intellectual Property Organisation of Pakistan and Customs to check software piracy in the country, he added.

The spokesman said as the businessmen earned money by using computer programmes they should purchase the licensed software, just like they pay for all other assets such as computer hardware, fax machines, furniture and telephone sets.

According to a BSA study, Pakistan has a piracy rate of 86 per cent for the business software, which damaged the country’s IT sector by about $48 million in 2005, while the global losses remained $34.30 billion in the same year.—APP