S'pore firm caught with pirated software worth $1.4m

[Dhalsim]

Jun 7, 2011

S'pore firm caught with pirated software worth $1.4m

By Chua Hian Hou

A small local manufacturing company has been accused of using an unprecedented $1.4 million worth of pirated software. -- PHOTO: INTERNET

A SMALL local manufacturing company has been accused of using an unprecedented $1.4 million worth of pirated software.

Following a tip-off, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department's Intellectual Property Rights Branch raided the company last Friday.

In a statement, software piracy watchdog Business Software Alliance (BSA) said that 10 bootleg copies of Mastercam v9 and Mastercam X5 software, worth a total of $1.4 million, was found.

The software in question, Mastercam v9 and Mastercam X5, is popular with the manufacturing industry to create 3D models of precision engineering parts.

The company - the authorities typically do not disclose the names of accused parties until the case goes to court - would then use the models generated to create plastic moulds for its customers.

The BSA, which offers rewards of up to $50,000 to whistleblowers, hailed the police action - and warned of more to come.

Said its senior regional director for anti-piracy, Mr Tarun Sawney: 'With the authorities taking firm action against the use of infringing software in the workplace, and as more reports stream in, it is imperative that business owners, managers and directors take steps to ensure that their software is legal and fully licensed.'