< BANGKOK (September 28 2010) – Thai companies are being offered a “golden opportunity” to ensure their software assets are aligned with Thai legal requirements.

At a press conference today, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) announced the “Golden Opportunity” campaign.

The campaign is designed to reward companies that have legalized their software assets.

As part of the campaign, one company will win a gold certificate worth 99,999.00 baht for their participation in verifying that their software assets are properly licensed. The gold certificate will be awarded through a lucky draw for participating businesses.

All companies with fully licensed software in use are eligible to win. Moreover, all companies that submit an application by the October 30 deadline will receive a signed certificate from the BSA recognizing their participation.

The objective of the campaign is to reduce software piracy in Thailand through cooperation with the business community.

"Companies have a golden opportunity to become legal,” said Varunee Ratchatapattanakul, policy consultant to the BSA. “The next 30 days are the ideal opportunity for companies to ensure that their software are fully licensed and to win a gold certificate.”

To participate in the campaign, companies are encouraged to complete a simple application available at www.stop.in.th or by sending a request by email to info@stop.in.th. The deadline for submission of the application is October 30, 2010.

This is the first campaign of its kind organized by the software industry in Thailand. Companies with legally licensed software assets benefit from greater productivity and security. Companies using pirated software face more downtime due to technical issues, lack of technical support, lower productivity and possible legal repercussions from violating the Thai Copyright Act, which requires companies to comply with software licensing agreements.

Local companies that want to know whether their organization is using legal or illegal software may wish to download BSA's free software audit tools at www.bsa.org. Corporate IT managers and consultants can also help to determine whether or not software assets are properly licensed.
In the last three years, greater numbers of Thai companies have legalized their software assets. Since 2006, the PC software piracy rate has been reduced from 80% to 75% in Thailand. BSA attributes this reduction to strong police investigation and enforcement efforts, which occur on a weekly basis and have resulted in hundreds of raids against businesses using unlicensed software.

In addition, Ratchatapattanakul says that there is a greater awareness among members of the business community about the attributes of legal software. Ratchatapattanakul says that the Thai Ministry of Commerce and the Department of Intellectual Property have been supportive in their efforts to raise understanding of software intellectual property rights.

“The Golden Opportunity campaign is a good way to reward and recognize those companies who are doing the right thing,” said Ratchatapattanakul. “We should also keep in mind that reducing software piracy is good for Thailand’s economy and image. Our hope is that all companies in Thailand participate in this campaign.”