XN000022-1990-04-01 — Page 4

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 1990

3

CUSTOMS COMMENDED FOR ANTI-COMPUTER PIRACY ACTION

*

THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE DEPARTMENT'S EFFORTS ON COMPUTER SOFTWARE PIRACY HAVE BEEN COMMENDED BY AND A U.S. COMPUTER SOFTWARE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION.

IN CLAMPING DOWN THE U.S. SENATE

IN A RESOLUTION, THE U.S. SENATE COMMENDS THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT ON ITS COMMITMENT TO HALTING COMPUTER PIRACY AND CONGRATULATES THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE DEPARTMENT FOR ITS "SUCCESSFUL SUBSTANTIAL" ANTI-PIRACY ACTION.

COPYRIGHT SOFTWARE

THE U.S. SENATE ALSO EXPRESSES ITS HOPE THAT AGENCIES AROUND THE WORLD WILL FOLLOW THE LEADING ENFORCEMENT EXAMPLE SET BY THE PEOPLE AND GOVERNMENT OF HONG KONG.

THE TEXT OF THE RESOLUTION, WHICH RECEIVED UNANIMOUS CONSENT, HAS BEEN INSCRIBED ON A PLAQUE RECENTLY PRESENTED TO THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE DEPARTMENT BY THE BUSINESS SOFTWARE ALLIANCE (BSA), A U.S.-BASED ORGANISATION REPRESENTING THE INTERESTS OF SIX LEADING COMPUTER SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS AND AGENTS.

WILLIAMSON,

THE COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS AND EXCISE, MR PATRICK RECEIVED THE PLAQUE FROM BSA'S PRESIDENT, MR DOUGLAS PHILLIPS.

AT

"DESPITE ITS SUCCESSES, THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE DEPARTMENT WILL CONTINUE TO EXERT PRESSURE

ALL LEVELS OF COMPUTER PIRACY UNTIL TOTAL ELIMINATION OF SUCH ACTIVITIES IS ACHIEVED," MR WILLIAMSON SAID.

HE SAID THE CUSTOMS

INVESTIGATION BRANCH HAD LAUNCHED FIVE MAJOR OPERATIONS AGAINST COMPUTER PIRACY SINCE THE DEPARTMENT'S RE-ORGANISATION ON AUGUST 1 LAST YEAR.

"THESE RESULTED IN THE SEIZURE OF ABOUT 240,000 COMPUTER MANUALS, 65,000 DISKETTES AND

MICROCOMPUTERS VALUED TOTALLY AT $51.1 MILLION.

27

"ALTOGETHER 56 MEN AND OPERATIONS," MR WILLIAMSON SAID.

12 WOMEN WERE ARRESTED IN THESE

0

/4