Over 300 computers licensed by leading garment manufacturer after police raid

The Colombo Crimes Division recently raided a leading garment manufacturer for using unlicensed software in their head office. The case was filed in the Magistrates Court of Colombo. The company was found to be using illegal software and hence was compelled to legalise all the software in its organisation.  

Over 300 desktops were thereafter installed with genuine software purchased at the relevant authorised distributors of the software owners. Under the intellectual property law of Sri Lanka, business leaders and company directors are held personally liable for such violations, and could even be liable for fines and imprisonment.  

“This has been a significant corporate end user raid from among the police raids conducted in Sri Lanka so far. It is encouraging that the authorities are taking to task bigger, and also foreign owned or controlled organisations,” said Shalini Ratwatte, Consultant BSA Sri Lanka. 

She added that “initiative, active involvement and enforcement by the public sector in white collar crimes of this nature is vital to create a safe environment for the foreign direct investment to Sri Lanka, of which a safe IP environment is a key lever. 

We encourage all companies to act in a responsible manner by respecting and protecting intellectual property rights at all times.” 

In terms of advice for the corporates, she added: “We recommend companies to conduct a software audit and regularise their software licenses. Don’t wait until law enforcement happens because by then, it is too late. The risk of non-compliance is significant since not only do companies risk criminal prosecution, director and senior management liability, damage to the company’s reputation and credibility in their industry; the security and malware risks associated with the use of pirated software are often not given due attention.” 

The BSA promotes policies that foster technology innovation, investment in the IT industry and a world where computer infrastructures and networks can be trusted. The growth of IT within economies worldwide is very closely correlated to reduced piracy rates in the respective countries. 

Sudath Perera Associates acted as the lawyers for the complainants in this matter. 

The Software Alliance is the leading global advocate for the software industry. It is an association of world-class companies that invest billions of dollars annually to create software solutions that spark the economy and improve modern life. Through international government relations, intellectual property enforcement and educational activities, BSA expands the horizons of the digital world and builds trust and confidence in the new technologies driving it forward.