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news without borders
Pirated software seized
from college
PUTRAJAYA: The Domestic Trade,
Cooperative and Consumerism Minis-
try seized RM794,300 worth of pirated
software from a private institution of
higher learning in Kota Kemuning,
Selangor, on Thursday.
The ministry’s Enforcement Divi-
sion director general, Mohd Roslan
Mahayudin, said it was the first edu-
cational institution to be investigated
under the Copyrights Act 1997.
“Our officers found 58 copies of
infringing software installed in eight
computers in school’s administrative
office computers,” he said,
The computers, worth an estimated
RM24,000, were also seized.
Roslan told a news conference
yesterday the ministry’s officers also
raided an IT solutions provider based
in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday and
seized 74 copies of pirated software
worth about RM125,800 installed
in eight computers worth around
RM21,000.
Among the software seized in
both raids were different versions of
programmes from Adobe, Autodesk,
Microsoft and Solidworks.
So far this year, the ministry had
raided 30 companies suspected of us-
ing pirated software in business and
seized 178 computers, 2,106 copies of
Koh (left)
hands
over the
pledge of
sponsorship
to Chan.
pirated or unlicensed software with a
total of RM7.6 million.
Asked whether the ministry was
only focusing on the end-user instead
of the source and manufacturers of
the pirated software, Roslan said his
officers were still gunning for the
manufacturers and had raided two
pirated software factories in March
and May this year.
Business Software Alliance Asia
Pacific Anti-Piracy senior director
Tarun Sawney, who was present
at the news conference, said that
software piracy was different from
other forms of piracy like music- and
movie-based piracy in that the source
was the company using the pirated
software and not the factory.
He lauded the Malaysian govern-
ment for its commitment to protecting
Great Eastern hopes staff
build ties at hunt
intellectual property rights in Malaysia
as the 30 cases filed by the ministry
was the highest in comparison to the
rest of Asia.
“The regional average in Asia Pa-
cific for piracy is around 61% whereas
Malaysia only has a 59% piracy rate, by Meena L. Ramadas
which 2% lower than the rest of the newsdesk@thesundaily.com
region. Also, over the last four to five
years, the piracy rate for software has THESUN Motor Hunt re-
never gone up, it either stays the same turns yet again to whet the
or has gone down. – Bernama appetites of adventure-seek-
ing individuals.
For main sponsor Great
Eastern Life Assurance,
however, the motor hunt is
more than just five hours of
fun.
Its director and chief
executive officer, Koh Yaw
Hui, said the motor hunt is
an opportunity for its staff to
build relationships.
“Of course, we want our
staff to have fun but more
importantly, it is also an
avenue to promote com-
munication,” he said at the
launch of the motor hunt and
the handing over of a pledge
of sponsorship to Chan Kien
Sing, managing director of
Sun Media Corporation Sdn
Bhd, at Great Eastern Mall
yesterday.
“It’s very much about the
journey than the destina-
tion.”
Koh said Great Eastern
staff will seize the opportunity
to build stronger bonds with
business associates, friends
Blogs gaining upper hand, says don
KUALA LUMPUR: It has to
be admitted that blogs, which
are part of the new generation
media, have wielded great in-
fluence and swayed thinking
among the Malaysian public.
For certain reasons, blogs
have gradually but distinctly
usurped the influence that
used to be exerted by the
conventional media such as
TV, radio and newspapers.
The emergence of blogs
has reflected society’s aware-
ness on the importance of
having information, but this
“leeway” has provided room
for manipulation by irrespon-
sible quarters.
To what extent have the
trials created by this new
media impacted the society
and nation?
Universiti Malaya’s Media
Studies Faculty lecturer Prof
Madya Dr Abu Hassan Has-
bullah said the new media is
like a “new trust” that breaks
all boundaries of politics,
economy, culture, ethnicity
and religion.
theSun
and acquaintances.
About 80 Great Eastern
staff and agents will be
taking part in the event,
to be held on Sunday, Nov
8. It will be followed
by a dinner and prize-
giving at the Sime Darby
Convention Centre.
Koh said Great Eastern
promotes healthy lifestyle
among its staff. “We want to
let people know that we are
not just an insurance com-
pany,” he said.
The company has been
sponsoring theSun Motor
Hunt since 2004.
“We will have a briefing
session for our staff to build
awareness about the motor
hunt,” he said.
theSun Motor Hunt 2009,
which will be limited to the
first 250 cars, will take the
participants around the Klang
Valley, where they will try to
break the clues and look for
treasures.
This year, electronics
giant Samsung is sponsor-
ing RM200,000 worth of its
products as the main prizes.
The other sponsors are HSBC,
Sports Toto, Kao Biore,
McDonald’s and Northport.
This new media wields
great influence over the
younger generation as they
are IT-savvy and have the
“urge to know”.
Hence there are concerns
among the authorities that
parties with vested interest
would manipulate this new
media to benefit their subver-
sive aims.
A recent example was
how blogs were manipulated
to create friction in Malaysia-
Indonesia ties.
Malaysians are given the
liberty and access to gain
whatever information they
want, apart from airing their
views online via blogs and
news portals as provided
by the Communication and
Multimedia Act 1998.
This Act also empowers
the Malaysian Communication
and Multimedia Commission
as well as the police to haul
up those who breached the
rules.
Among the provisions of
the Act on this are Section 211
| TUESDAY OCTOBER 13 2009
The other partners and sup-
porters are Petronas, PVSL
Sound & Light, Mix FM, Sime
Darby Convention Centre,
Elken, Milo, Nescafe, Nesvita
3IN1 Green Tea, Revive Iso-
tonic, Dentyne, Clorets, Am-
bipur Car Perfume, Protex
Soap, Ava Fabric Softener,
Harimau Kuat Dishwash-
ing Liquid, Win Fabricare
Powder Detergent, M&M’s,
CLEAR Unisex Shampoo,
CLEAR Men’s Shampoo,
Kenny Rogers Roasters,
TESCO, Bata and Berjaya
Air.
Time Out Solutions will
return as the clerk-of-course
for the event, which prom-
ises to be fun for the whole
family. So, hurry, download
the entry forms from www.
sun2surf.com or www.time-
outsolutions.com now.
The closing date is Nov 3
or when the target of 250 cars
has been achieved.
and Section 233 on repulsive
and obscene contents as well
as abuse of the network facili-
ties and services respectively.
As of last July, the authori-
ties have investigated 52 cases
under sections 233/211 involv-
ing e-mails and websites.
According to the com-
mission, the authorities have
charged 11 cases in court
involving eight individuals
alleged to have sent com-
ments that insulted the Sultan
of Perak.
Even in the United States,
there were bloggers who
were hauled up for breaching
the country’s laws.
In Malaysia, cyber threat is
on the rise and this has drawn
the attention of Information
Communication and Culture
Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais
Yatim.
Rais said cyber threat had
turned out to be more griev-
ous than the visible dangers
as it could infiltrate the minds
of the younger generation
undetected. – Bernama