Microsoft Corp said on Friday it may take decades to tackle software piracy in large emerging economies despite some recent progress and called on Asian governments to invest more in policing the practice


"We are realistic in recognising that we have to work diligently over periods, that are really a decade or two, to make real progress in a number of these environments," Craig Mundie, Microsoft Chief Research and Strategy Officer, said.

Mundie, one of two successors to Microsoft founder Bill Gates next year, said progress had been made in countries like China and Vietnam in recent years to tackle software pirates, which cost the company billions of dollars each year.

However, he said more needed to be done to police the problem.

"Most of the Asian countries have the laws, some of the regulations - they probably need tuning up - but the biggest weakness is very few of them have made the necessary investment on the enforcement side," Mundie said.

Microsoft has made progress in China where the piracy rate has dropped to 82 per cent this year from 94 per cent four years ago, he said. The piracy rate is a measure of the level of pirated software in the country. China President Hu Jintao last year pledged to crack down on software piracy.

Mundie was speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of a meeting of the 21 Asia Pacific leaders, some of whom have pledged flexibility in trade talks which have dragged for years.

"As business people we certainly find it encouraging that the Doha Round could get completed and trade can go to the next level," said Mundie, who earlier addressed a forum of business leaders.

He said Microsoft expected to continue to grow its workforce and research and development capability in countries outside its dominant United States market, such as India.

The software company has been expanding beyond its Windows and office software businesses, saying Web services and consumer devices are key to the company's future. Its software products like the Windows operating system and Office productivity software account for most of the company's profit.

Courtesy : Expressindia.com

The IT sector would generate 4 lakh new jobs this year which would be about 25 per cent higher than the previous year's, trade body NASSCOM said.

"The sector will add 4 lakh jobs this year. Last year, the revenue from IT industry was USD 32 billion with a workforce of 1.6 million," NASSCOM President Kiran Karnik said during the opening of the Kolkata office.

The growth came despite the industry was being saddled with minimum alternate tax, tax on ESOP and tax on service apartment.

"There will be no impact in the short run, but it will be felt in the long run as these would be impediments to the growth of start-ups, though large companies would not be affected."

Karnik emphasised on allowing the existing benefits for Software Technology Parks of India (STPIs) beyond 2009 by the Centre to support the new and small IT conpanies.

Karnik urged West Bengal IT Minister Debesh Das to lobby with the Centre to extend the existing benefits of STPIs beyond 2009

To a question, Karnik said the Data Security Council of India would be formalised shortly and it was aiming to have a board where most members would be from outside the industry.

The council would be a self-regulatory organisation in nature and would be a step forward in controlling cyber crimes.

Courtesy : Expressindia.com