If you think that you won’t be duped at IT exhibitions, think about it again after reading this article.

Last Friday (11 Sept 2009), the police raided a retailer suspected of selling laptops loaded with pirated software at the COMEX 2009 computer and IT exhibition. The police seized 55 China-made Losang-branded laptops installed with unlicensed Microsoft Windows XP Professional software with an estimated worth of S$31,240. These laptops were affixed with recycled Certificates of Authenticity (COA). A COA is a label helps buyers to identify genuine software.

Reasons against using pirated software

Pirated software can pose a serious security threat to the consumer and consumers can be using computers with illegal programs. Such usage could result in corruption of system, with the loss of data and even identity theft. In addition to that, counterfeit software does not allow users to get access to important Microsoft security updates.

Consumer Protection Tips

Consumers should always inspect the Certificates of Authenticity on new computers before purchase. This helps to ensure that they are buying systems with genuine software and at the same time, be wary of suspicious looking COAs. Also, consumers should also ensure that the systems that they purchase are bundled with their usual package such as software CD-ROM, manuals, and end-user licensing agreements.

Under the Law

Under Singapore’s Copyright Act, parties found guilty of selling counterfeit software can face a fine not exceeding S$10,000 for each article, up to a maximum fine of S$100,000, or a jail term not exceeding five years, or both.

Fact

According to a study by the Business Software Alliance and IDC Global, Singapore had a PC software piracy rate of 36 per cent in 2008, with losses amounting to US$163 million.