14 DAY TRIAL // General Inspectorate of Romanian Police and Business Software Alliance have agreed on a protocol that will regulate the cooperation methods between the organizations in the attempt to prevent and combat software piracy.
The new partnership, valid for a period of two years, implies the deployment of joint projects, campaigns and informational activities meant to raise the awareness of consumers and companies on the risks involved in copyright infringement.
The first common action is represented by the campaign called “Software without license is a luxury you can't afford!”, which aims at informing the general public about legal matters and consequences that might result from the use of bootlegged applications.
A large number of companies will receive detailed information in the following weeks on every aspect related to piracy and digital rights. Also, a special phone line and websites will be made available to those who want to know more on the matter.
The press release informs us that the legal action taken by police forces this year will continue and seminars will be held to instruct law enforcement representatives on how to handle and prosecute those involved in such activities.
According to current Romanian legislature, individuals can be fined with 30,000 RON (about $7500) and can be sentenced to a maximum of 4 year imprisonment, while companies can be forced to pay up to 600,000 RON (approximately $150,000) and they can have their whole activity suspended for a certain period.
Furthermore, software owners can demand reimbursements that can be valued three times the price of a legitimately purchased license.
The General Inspector of the Romanian Police, Liviu Popa, revealed that they are confident their joint efforts to prevent and combat piracy will diminish the impact of the criminal phenomenon. He also highlights that the new protocol will further prove that one of the Romanian police force's primary objective is to ensure a clean and stable economical environment.
On behalf of Business Software Aliance, Attorney Magda Popescu added that companies who use unlicensed software expose themselves to a number of technical risks that might result in data loss and virus infections, incidents which can cost far more than the price of the license itself.
