Be wary of unintentionally buying counterfeit software, says Microsoft

SINGAPORE — Microsoft has urged consumers and small businesses to be wary of the unintentional purchase of counterfeit products following a police raid of a computer vendor shop in Kembangan Plaza selling laptops installed with suspected counterfeit copies of Microsoft software.

The company operating at the shop had advertised the sale of unauthorised Microsoft licence keys, claiming they were genuine. Customers could also buy computers and laptops bundled with counterfeit Windows 7 Pro and Office Enterprise 2007 — and had fake Certificates of Authenticity to boot — at highly discounted prices via an online store.

During the raid on Monday, the Intellectual Property Rights Branch of the Singapore Police Force seized 43 laptops, with the total commercial value of goods estimated at S$80,000.

Microsoft said in a press release that the raid serves as a timely reminder for consumers and small businesses to remain vigilant against pirated software.

Mr Jonathan Selvasegaram, corporate attorney at the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit, said piracy is a major concern because of the damage it could cause for unsuspecting users.

“Such software could expose computers to spyware, malware and viruses that can lead to identity theft, loss of personal data and unexpected system failures. The risk is very real as this has dangerous repercussions, especially for businesses where operational disruptions caused by malware and viruses could potentially lead to heavy financial losses for them,” he said.

Microsoft added: “Honest computer vendors are also put to a disadvantage as they are unable to compete with dealers offering counterfeit software that is often lower in cost.”

In the Kembangan Plaza case, Microsoft said it was alerted by a concerned computer vendor, whose customer demanded a refund of a genuine copy of software he had bought because he said the same software was sold by the raided vendor at a cheaper price.

“Hence, it is important for consumers and retailers to ensure they obtain their software products only from trusted vendors and local authorised sources,” said Microsoft. It added that more information on how to verify the origin of Microsoft products can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/howtotell/default.aspx

The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore said a total of 254 raids related to copyright and trademark violations were conducted in 2012 and goods worth about S$2 million were seized.