BSA praises tough court ruling against piracy, calls for 'bold measures' from government

He was handed down a hefty fine and a two-year probation period.

This pirated software was being unlawfully loaded onto computer systems which the reseller was building and distributing.

The Magistrates’ Court also ordered the confiscation of all the computer hardware and other related apparatus seized by the Police during their investigations.

The Court had delivered its judgment following the admission by the accused of all of the criminal charges brought against him.

In a statement issued this afternoon, the Business Software Alliance (BSA), the voice of the world’s commercial software industry, praised this recent judgment by the Maltese courts.

The BSA described this judgment as “a very important step in the fight against software copyright theft in Malta”

“The judgement is proof that Malta is making great efforts to combat the escalating problem of piracy on the island,” Georg Herrnleben, Director CEE & MEA, Business Software Alliance, insisted.

However, the BSA was urging the Maltese Government “to take bold measures to combat piracy in Malta through tougher legislation”.

BSA has pledged “to continue working to educate consumers and organizations that piracy is theft and an infringement of intellectual property rights”.

The Alliance warned that the distribution of unlicensed or pirated computer software created “a serious problem for the software developers.

“BSA will continue to work with legal authorities to ensure that companies in Malta fulfil a legal obligation to ensure that all of the computers sold by their establishment are accompanied by licensed and genuine computer software products,” the BSA statement insisted.