End user raids in Varna
Bulgaria On 2 November 2001, officers of the regional bureau of the NSFOC in the city of Varna raided the offices of a cable TV station and an Internet computer game club. In the TV station, one PC loaded with allegedly illegal copies of Microsoft products was seized and another 13 PCs were seized from the computer game club. Allegedly illegal copies of BSA member companies' business and entertainment software products were found on the PCs in the club. Preliminary police investigation was initiated in both cases.

First software crime settlement
Croatia On 20 December 2001, BSA members settled with Edukon d.o.o., a computer school in Zagreb, to cover illegal use of Adobe, Macromedia and Microsoft products for HRK 30,000 (approximately US$3,500). The school legalised all software in use and will sponsor educational courses on computer literacy for officers of state institutions engaged in fighting software crime. The school will also help disabled persons whom Edukon d.o.o. and the BSA found to have a real need for computer education. The whole scheme will cost HRK 70,000 (US$8,258).

Judgment against reseller
Croatia On 29 November, the Municipal Court passed a final judgment against a reseller in Dubrovnik for a six-month suspended prison sentence, with a one-year probation period, for copying, using, advertising and selling illegal software via the Internet. In addition, CDs containing illegal software were seized and destroyed.

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Imprisonment and confiscation of PC
Czech Republic On 31 October, a District Court issued a criminal order against a reseller and sentenced him to 10 months' imprisonment, with probation for two years, and ordered confiscation of one PC and 144 CDs.

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Internet pirate arrested
Greece Greek police have arrested a person responsible for what is believed to be the biggest Internet pirate operation in Greece. The target is a US citizen who was operating a Web site, selling thousands of software products, games, videos, CDs, DVDs, and decoding cards for TV subscription services throughout Greece and other European countries. Police searched his home, studio and car, and seized more than 30,000 titles, numerous computers, scanners and printers. The individual has been arrested and placed on remand pending a further hearing. He is likely to face the most severe charges of copyright infringement, which carry penalties of 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of up to €58,700 ($50,000). The raid followed joint action by the BSA and local representatives of the film and music industries in Greece. The raid was widely publicized on Greek TV and in the press services.

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Major supermarket end user raid conducted in Hungary
Hungary Based on a Business Software Alliance criminal complaint, at least eleven different police departments carried out raids at a number of offices and stores of a major supermarket chain throughout Hungary. The police confiscated a couple of hundred PCs with illegal BSA members' software installed on them.

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The BSA settles with a number of Irish companies
Ireland The BSA has recently settled with seven Irish companies which were found to be using unlicenced BSA member software. Below are some highlights:

• Following the issuing of legal proceedings, the BSA entered into a settlement with a Dublin-based research company for €19,725 (US$18,100) to cover illegal use of Microsoft products.
  
• Following a civil search in November 2001, the BSA entered into a settlement with a Cavan-based architects company, for €12,697 (US$12,000) to cover illegal use of Adobe and Autodesk products.
• Following the start of legal proceeding into a settlement with a Dublin-based engineering company for €9,523 (US$8,500) to cover illegal use of Autodesk products.
• Following legal proceedings commenced in October 2001, BSA entered into a settlement with a Dublin-based fast food restaurant, for €6,348 (US$5,600) to cover illegal use of Microsoft products.
• Following a civil search in July 2001, BSA entered into a settlement with a Dublin-based software design company, for €38,092 (US$34,000) to cover illegal use of Microsoft products.
  

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Settlement with Ram Computers on hard disk loading
Israel Securing a civil warrant following a test purchase, Microsoft obtained cooperation of the authorities in raiding Ram Computers. Only a single hard disk loaded computer was seized in the search and the defendants sought cancellation of the warrant, however they withdrew their motion following cross-examination of the attorney for plaintiffs. The judge encouraged the parties to settle and, on 11 December, in open court, the parties signed an agreement under which the reseller will pay 42,000 NIS (US$9,900).

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$40,000 fine for hard disk loading reseller
Ivory Coast In January, a reseller in the Ivory Coast was ordered to pay 30,000,000 FCFA (approximately $40,000) to Microsoft after being caught hard disk loading - that is, copying unlicenced software onto a PC for sale. This sum amounts to a punitive fine, and Microsoft has the right to claim additional damages. The reseller may appeal this decision.

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National Library conducts major reseller raid in Amman
Jordan Officers of the National Library, which is empowered to enforce the Copyright Law in Jordan, recently raided one of Jordan's best-known resellers in Sweifiyeh, a commercial neighbourhood in Amman. The reseller was caught red-handed selling a PC loaded with illegal copies of Windows 98 and Office 2000 software. The case has now been transferred to the public prosecutor's office for further criminal proceedings. In a separate case, a first instance Criminal Court issued a landmark judgment against a reseller dealing in Autodesk and Microsoft products. The raid, over a year ago, was instigated by a formal complaint by BSA members before the public prosecutor. In its judgment, the court imposed a three-month jail sentence against the proprietor of the shop, as well as a fine of US$1,500.

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Courts impose fines against pirate resellers
Kuwait The Criminal Court of First Instance issued its judgment against two pirate resellers that had been raided by the Ministry of Information further to BSA complaints. In each case, the court imposed a fine of 500 Kuwaiti Dinars (US$1,630) and ordered the confiscation of all infringing copies of software found on the premises of the resellers during the raids. One of the cases was transferred to the civil courts for assessment of the compensation claim that the BSA is pursuing. In October and November, the Ministry of Information raided three separate resellers and seized a total of nine PCs loaded with unlicenced software. Two of the resellers were located in Ibn Khaldoun Road, the major road for computer shopping in Kuwait City.

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Beirut's state-of-the-art Microsoft Electronic Library (MEL) Lebanon In Lebanon, where there is only one personal computer for every 25 people, Microsoft has helped to create a state-of-the-art electronic library, equipped with IT workstations, software and Internet connections. Housed in the Beirut Children's Science Museum and opened in May 2000, one of the key goals of the Microsoft Electronic Library (MEL) is to give a chance to children who would normally have no other exposure to IT. The Museum includes four learning modules which cater to children in four different age groups from 3 to 15 years of age. The interactive learning modules can be completed in Arabic, French, English and Braille, and are taught by skilled IT professionals - the goal being to generate interest in technology and provide children with a critical skill base. In addition to the electronic library itself, a technology lab at the Museum offers an expanded curriculum providing students with additional ITskills and experience. Through the courses, students acquire the tools they will need to help themselves, their communities and their country grow in the future. www.microsoft.com/middleeast/inthecommunity/

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First Internet case in Lithuania
Lithuania On 17 October 2001, following a referral from the BSA, the tax police initiated the first ever criminal case against Internet pirates in Lithuania. They searched the pirates' premises where they found 10 PCs, 3,000 CDs with various software programs and several packages with illegal software prepared for distribution. The pirates were manufacturing and distributing illegal software all over the world, including the UK, US, Germany and Australia.

First criminal judgment under new Criminal Code
Lithuania On 20 September 2001, a District Court entered a criminal judgment against Mr Astrauskas, general manager of Datonus (raided in June 2000), imposing a fine of 25,000 Litas (US$6,250) and ordering the company to pay 300% compensation amounting to 113,907 Litas (US$28,475) in civil damages. On 26 September, a District Court pronounced two civil judgments against end users for software piracy. The first company, Sagra, which had been raided on 19 March 2000, was ordered to pay a fine of approximately US$11,900. The second company, Panev io spaustuv, raided on 20 June 2000, was ordered to pay a fine of US$2,900. Both of these fines represent 200% compensation compared to the retail price of the software.

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The BSA and WIPO co-host Copyright Conference for North West Africa
Morocco On 8 and 9 November 2001, the BSA and WIPO, in cooperation with the Moroccan government, held a conference in Rabat titled "Copyright in the Context of Information Technology" for nine African countries: Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon and Senegal. The delegates included the Ivorian Minister of Culture, the Moroccan Minister of Culture, the heads of the Copyright Offices, leading judicial figures and public prosecutors. Several BSA, WIPO and other invited speakers addressed subjects ranging from international treaties covering copyright law, regional enforcement best practices, Internet piracy, the scourge of counterfeiting and the economic importance of fighting software piracy. The conference concluded with a workshop session in which participants were separated into three groups which debated the different measures that can be taken in order to reduce software piracy. Recommendations included an increased focus on the need to enhance enforcement practices and employ various methods aimed at increasing awareness of software rights. The conference received broad media coverage in the Arab world - particularly in Egypt and Morocco - and in Nigeria.

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Illegal software settlement in Hemsteede
Netherlands On 17 December 2001, the BSA settled with an import/export company in Hemsteede, for e40,840 (approximately US$36,890) to cover illegal Adobe, Macromedia, Microsoft and Symantec products discovered during a November 2001 BSA raid.

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BSA'S campaign against end user piracy starts with a bang
Nigeria Further to a claim filed by the BSA, the Federal High Court issued an Anton Pillar order against a leading architects' firm that has refused to legalize its use of software despite several warning letters by the BSA over the last two years. The Anton Pillar order was executed in the presence of officials from the Nigerian Copyright Commission and the police authorities. The search revealed that the said company had loaded all computers used on its premises with illegal copies of software belonging to BSA member companies. This was the first judicial action in Nigeria against end user piracy and it received broad media coverage. This milestone in the anti-piracy effort in Nigeria comes hot on the heels of a massive enforcement campaign against reseller software pirates.(contact: nasserak/i-meekm)

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Authorities raid yet another end user in Muscat
Oman Further to a BSA complaint, Oman's Ministry of National Heritage and Culture raided an end user in Muscat and found 19 PCs loaded with illegal software including Windows 95, Windows 98, Office 97, Norton AntiVirus 2000, and AutoCAD 2000.

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3,500 CD-Rs seized
Poland On 12 October 2001, the police in cooperation with the BSA raided a reseller that was distributing illegal software over the Internet. Police seized more than 3,500 CD-Rs with a large number of Microsoft, Adobe, Corel and Autodesk software. Four suspects were detained. One of whom was a postman who was involved in distribution of orders. The police confiscated the resellers' list of 700 clients.

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Seminar for judges and prosecutors in Romania
Romania BSA representatives gave a presentation on the 'Legal Protection of Software Copyrights' to 35 judges and prosecutors from Bucharest Courts and Prosecutor Offices, during a seminar organised by the National Institute of Magistrates and Ministry of Justice. The presentation included a review of the Romanian Copyright Law, examples of main debates in court, types of software piracy and case examples, information about licences and the movie created for the National Program of Software Piracy Prevention. The judges and prosecutors were very interested in the topics and participated in the debates provided by the BSA.

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Eight months' suspended sentence
Russia On 30 October 2001, the Ostankinsky Court of Moscow delivered a judgment against a CD-ROM reseller raided by the police on 5 July. The infringer was selling CD-ROMs in a trading booth at the Savelovsky market in Moscow. During the raid, the police seized CD-ROMs with illegal copies of Microsoft software. Total value of the programs involved was US$17,000. The Court found the reseller guilty of violating Microsoft's copyrights and sentenced him to an eight-month suspended prison term.

Russian warez site linked to compilation CD-Rs found in the Netherlands
Russia Russian ISP Zenon closed a site which contained cracks and serial numbers for over 30 BSA Member products within 12 hours after a take-down notice was sent and replaced the infringing site with the BSA banner. After sending a warning notice to the content provider behind the site, a reply was received informing the BSA of other pirate Web sites. The BSA has taken action against these sites. The website is suspected of being the provider of over 6,000 counterfeit CD-Rs destined for Nigeria, that were seized by customs earlier this year in the Netherlands.

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First prison sentence
Slovenia At the end of November 2001, convicted software pirate R. Hostnik started his six-month prison term in the state penitentiary. The BSA initiated the case with a criminal complaint in 1994 and, in June 2001, the Higher Court confirmed the District Court's conviction for a prison term of six months. This is the first case in Slovenia, both in the field of software crime and Intellectual Property law generally, where an infringer was actually imprisoned.

Final conviction of end user by judge for misdemeanours
Slovenia The Judge for Misdemeanors of Trzic in northern Slovenia has convicted an end user and small business firm for using 17 unlicensed copies of software. The procedure resulted from searches and complaints conducted by the Market Inspector of Slovenia in April 2001, under the 1995 Copyright and Related Rights Act, as amended in 2001. After the search by the Market Inspection - the defendant presented licenses for some of the programs used, erased the other illegal copies from his computers and bought new legal copies of other programs. Because of this, the Judge issued only a warning to the defendant, without other penalties. The decision became final on 1 October 2001.

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Pirates learn the hard way
United Arab Emirates Following BSA complaints, the Dubai Ministry of Information (MOI) raided two resellers that had put up stands at the annual GITEX exhibition. The MOI officials seized a total of six PCs loaded with illegal copies of Windows ME, Windows 98 and Norton AntiVirus software, and ordered the immediate closure of both stands.

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