CRN Network, November 04, 2009, 1230 hrs
In an attempt to set a precedent for punitive action against the use of pirated software, the Delhi High Court has fined a company Rs 10 lakh for using pirated software for commercial purposes without genuine licenses. The compensation was awarded to the plaintiffs, Adobe and Microsoft.
This is the first ever judgment by the Delhi HC on damages against a corporate end-user company.
As per an IDC-BSA Global Software Piracy Study in 2008, software piracy rate in India stood at a high 68 percent and the revenue loss due to software piracy in India in 2008 was estimated at $2.7 billion.
The piracy rate in India has decreased at a slow place— by six percentage points over a period of five years.
According to an economic impact study of software piracy conducted and published by IDC in 2008, reducing software piracy in India by 10 percentage points over a four-year period could generate an additional 43,000 new jobs, $3.1 billion in economic growth, and $200 million in tax revenues for the government. |