CYPRUS has undertaken fully to harmonise its legislation on software piracy by January 1, 2003, the anti-piracy Business Software Alliance (BSA) said yesterday.
In a written announcement, BSA Cyprus said it had expressed its concerns over software piracy on the island to the Attorney-general’s office, which admitted that there was problem.
According to BSA studies, the problem is Cyprus is serious. It estimates that three out of every four business software packages on the market are pirated, while software companies lose $20-$25 million each year due to illegal copying.
The BSA announcement said that, in replying to their questions, the Attorney-general’s office had referred to “legal difficulties” in proving software piracy.
“There are some procedural difficulties in proving some preconditions prescribed by the law, which are necessary to prove that a crime has been committed, e.g. that the plaintiff is actually the creator of the software, that the programme is protected by copyright and that the specific software programs are illegal. Under the existing system, in order to prove the above, statements have to be taken from experts, who may have to come from abroad,” the Attorney-general’s office replied.
“All the aforementioned problems are expected to be dealt with more effectively with the amendment of the relevant law and possibly the law on evidence so as to make easier to prove the commission of the crime and render the process less complicated.”
The production, sale and distribution of illegal software carries a penalty of two years in prison and or a fine of up to £1,500. Repeat offenders may be sentenced to three years imprisonment and or a fine of up to £2,000.
BSA in Cyprus, which represents the biggest software developers in the world, keeps the Attorney-general informed about international developments in the software piracy field. It also offers special training to police on how to identify illegal software and how to prepare successful court cases.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
