Manager

…a question of supply

There is no question that software piracy is truly well and alive among us. Just visit any hypermarket at Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur or Penang. the multitude of stall selling pirated intellectual property, be it music, movie or computer software, will astound you.

While the theft and counterfeiting of intellectual property as alarming, perhaps event more frighterning is the fact that is not limited to software. Consumer-product companies lose billions each year to criminals who would copy any imaginable produst to turn a quick, illicit profit. Everything from medicines to motocyles!

“The counterfiet trade is not a ‘harmless’ industry as some peoplr would believe. It is nasty and vacious business that dupes customer, defrauds brand owners and robs goverment of tax revenue,”said the brand intergrity manager of leading multi-national company recently. There can be little disagreement about the truth of this statement.

There seems to be easy solution to the problem in sight. It boils down to a question of basic economics. Where they is demand for a commodoty someone will try to make money by supplying it. The vast resources in term of moneyand manpower devoted to combating intelectual property theft will never be totaly effective as long as economic principles is not given more consideration.

This is not a new idea and it has been suggested before. The millions of dolars software companies spent to combat piracy could be put to better use to benefit the end-users by lowering the price of their product. With reduced pricing and regular public education to respect intelectual property, the end user will encouraged to buy original instead of pirated products if the price difference is marginal. This is our viewis a win-win situation and the most creative way to combat intellectual theft.

When there is equal, aggordable acceess to intellectual property, there will be true respectfor intellectual property rights.