Microsoft lauds global antipiracy success

21.10.2008
Microsoft Tuesday revealed what it says is unprecedented success in its worldwide efforts to prevent people from pirating or counterfeiting its software.

The company outlined more than 400 law-enforcement efforts in 49 countries on six continents around the world to prevent the piracy or counterfeiting of its software products. Microsoft is calling Tuesday "Global Anti-Piracy Day" to laud the efforts.

Calling the efforts a "diversity of enforcement," Microsoft General Counsel for Worldwide Antipiracy and Anticounterfeiting David Finn said that the company has "never been so involved with so many countries doing so many things" to combat software piracy and counterfeiting.

Law-enforcement efforts to crack down against sustained criminal activity to pirate and counterfeit its software and then resell it for profit has been a pet project of Microsoft's for some time. Indeed, Finn said some of the cases the company is unveiling Tuesday are the product of at least five years if not more years of effort.

"This kind of coordinated effort doesn't happen in minutes," he said. "It really is a lot of work."

Countries as diverse as Argentina, Australia, Kuwait, Nigeria and Pakistan are all regions where Microsoft has been working with law-enforcement efforts to prosecute people for software piracy and counterfeiting. A list of all of the cases the company is unveiling Tuesday is on