World software firms offer 30 to 90 percent discount on products
KARACHI- The world’s leading software companies keeping offices in Pakistan have announced 30 to 90 percent discounts on their products till December 11 2002, to help the corporate sector legalise its computer programmes.
The representatives of software giants including Adobe, Autodesk, Microsoft and Symantec announced their special offers at a seminar, organised by Business Software Alliance (BSA) here at a hotel.
Those incentives coincide with the suspension of enforcement activities being carried out by BSA against the sellers and users of pirated software across the country.
Autodesk, the fourth largest software developer company in the world, has given a 30 percent discount on all its products, announced Ayaz Khan, an Autodesk representative in Pakistan.
Sajid Mumtaz of Adobe, said, the leader in network publishing, announced a 40 percent discount on most of its products, while Symantec, a leading provider of Internet security technology, has given a 30 percent discount on its retail products range and corporate solutions like volume licences.
Hassan Jamal of Microsoft said that the company has presented three packages under the special incentives. Under a Small Business Server (SBS) & Office Programme, five licences for Office XP are offered for the price of only three, plus a licence for SBS is bundled into the software package. “This 40% discount on Office is really a huge subsidy and makes this offer very attractive for SMEs in Pakistan,” Hassan said.
Secondly, the Licence Management Programme (LMP) will offer a 25 percent discount on Microsoft’s open licence prices for all of its products, provided it is used to legalise all Microsoft software used in the company,” he added.
Hassan said that under the Academic Programme, Microsoft, the world’s software leader, presents up to 90 percent discount on its academic licences for schools, colleges, universities, teachers and students.
Al Redha, the Regional Director of Business Software Alliance (BSA), Middle East, addressing the seminar, said, the concessions offered by its member companies provide a “great opportunity” for the corporate sector to become legal by giving up the use of pirated software.
He said, it is unfair on part of those companies, which are using illegal software and making money out of it. “Software is intellectual property of a person or a company who spends money and time to create the computer programme, so they should be given their due rights,’ he added.
Al Redha said, those countries which have respected copyright laws are benefiting from it as the multi-national companies are encouraged to invest there.
BSA, that fights piracy across the world, has established a toll free helpline (0800-01234) in Karachi for those who want to get more information on how to become legally compliant. The BSA will restart its legal action right after December 11, 2002, Al Redha added.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:11/13/2002
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