Australian industry leaders stand in support of AFP anti-piracy measures
Joint media release 14 September 2010 from Microsoft, Business Software Alliance of Australia, Music Industry Piracy Investigations and the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft
Today, representatives from four major Australian organisations stood shoulder to shoulder in support of the Australian Federal Police’s (AFP) co-ordinated action against large scale counterfeit products in Australia. Individuals from Microsoft, the Business Software Alliance (BSA), Music Industry Piracy Investigations (MIPI) and the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) attended a press conference today organised by the AFP to support the AFP’s National Enforcement Day, designed to tackle the issue of intellectual property theft.
The organisations all congratulated the AFP’s co-ordinated cross-industry actions to combat the criminal elements involved in large scale counterfeit products and spoke with one voice to support the continued fight against intellectual property infringement.
“High-quality counterfeit software is an increasingly sophisticated form of software piracy that is difficult to detect, which affects the bottom line of thousands of legitimate businesses across Australia and endangers consumers’ and business’ computers though potential malware or virus infection,” said Vanessa Hutley, Director, Intellectual Property, Microsoft Australia. “Consumer awareness, collaboration across industries and law enforcement bodies like the AFP are the most effective ways to tackle this issue and Microsoft applauds the AFP’s most recent efforts.”
“Music piracy undermines the ability of Australia’s artists and songwriters to get rewarded for their hard work and devalues their creativity,” commented Sabiene Heindl, General Manager, Music Industry Piracy Investigations (MIPI). “We wholeheartedly support the AFP’s push to protect the opportunities for Australia’s home-grown talent by putting a stop to copyright theft.”
“We commend the work of the Australian Federal Police for their focus on movie piracy and other intellectual property crimes,” said Neil Gane, Executive Director, Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT). “Movie piracy is not a victimless crime. It is vital that genuine businesses in our community, such as local cinemas and DVD stores – who provide jobs, pay taxes, and make available great entertainment – are given a fair go and should not have to compete with theft.”
Clayton Noble, co-chair, BSA Australia Committee added, “The AFP’s National Enforcement Day is an essential step for protecting the growth, talent and innovation in Australia’s software industry, along with the film and music industries. The impact of piracy costs the Australian software industry hundreds of millions of dollars each year and when combined with our fellow industries’ suffering, the impact is even greater.”