LAHORE, Aug 29: The city district police claimed on Friday to have arrested three unauthorized software sellers and seized 2,554 CDs during a raid.

“Now they will face penalties for the infringement of the Copyright, which prohibits use and sale of software without getting permission from its owner,” according to Business Software Alliance, a body of the world’s leading computer companies formed to curb software piracy. A press release quoted a BSA (Middle East) official as saying: “Such surprise raids will continue throughout Pakistan to encourage software producers, create job opportunities and increase government revenue.”

He said the raids were conducted when these people were found selling pirated computer programmes by copying them on hard disks of new machines.” The four computers loaded with pirated software were also confiscated by the police, to be produced as an evidence for court, he said, naming these programmes as Windows 98, Office 2000, PhotoShop, Visual C++, Norton anti-Virus, Office 97 and AutoCAD.

The official has asked all the companies to immediately delete unlicensed software and buy the authorized products from the reputable dealers to avoid legal action.

Despite the establishment of a network of legal software sellers of the BSA members in the major cities, about 80 per cent software business in Pakistan was still illegal, he said.—APP