In the last week of May, police authorities in the cities of Curitiba (PR), Londrina (PR) and Araras (SP), carried out operations to search for seizures in 10 computer resellers, suspected of selling CDs and DVDs containing illegal copies of computer programs. In these operations, 167 illegal media were seized. The search and seizure operation had the support of the Brazilian Association of Software Companies (ABES).
In early May, computer resellers located in the capital of São Paulo were also approached. At the time, police officers seized 62 CDs and DVDs containing pirated software.
Legal risks for trading pirated software
According to Jorge Sukarie, president of ABES, by infringing copyright, these computer resellers promote unfair competition in the market in which they operate. In addition, they can be criminally charged with a penalty that can range from six months to two years in prison or be fined up to three thousand times the price of each program used or reproduced.
47% of PCs sold at resellers are pre-infected
"Consumers should be aware if they suspect the origin of the programs installed on machines purchased in these places and always demand proof of purchase of the software", says Sukarie. This is because, a recent study by IDC, released in March of this year, indicated that 47% of computers sold at computer resellers in Brazil are sold pre-infected with malware, including Trojans and other viruses.
Given this scenario and to protect consumers, ABES, together with BSA – The Software Alliance, maintains the Software Piracy Reporting Portal. “Whenever the user suspects the origin of the computer programs offered in these stores, he can make an anonymous complaint through the portal, available at the electronic address www.denuciepirataria.org. If you prefer, you can also download the Portal app, available on Android and iOS platforms,” says Sukarie.
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