http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB986164716595422714.htm # # April 2, 2001 # # Microsoft Urges Global Attack # Against Piracy of Software # #[snip] # # To combat such piracy, Microsoft recently entered into a formal # partnership with the U.S. Customs Service to exchange information # on intellectual-property crimes around the world. The agency # has similar partnerships with other companies and trade # associations, including Underwriters Laboratories and the Motion # Picture Association of America. # # The partnership is a formalized cooperation process where # information is exchanged regularly, according to Customs spokesman # Dennis Murphy. "These partnership agreements have become an # effective way for us to get better information and do a better # enforcement job, as well as a way for the company to get a more # effective means to police their copyrights," Mr. Murphy said. # # Microsoft also has aggressively recruited its own security force # of former government agents led by Richard LaMagna, a 27-year # veteran of the Drug Enforcement Administration who speaks # Cantonese, Mandarin, French and Thai. During the past six months, # Microsoft officials say, the company has taken legal action # against 47,000 dubious or illegal postings on the Internet # offering its products. # # The Customs Service, through its network of attaches around the # world, helps Microsoft and other companies work with foreign # police agencies. In conjunction with the Federal Bureau of # Investigation, the agency last year inaugurated a new Intellectual # Property Rights Center in Washington to serve as a command center # for operations against copyright violators. # # The stepped-up antipiracy efforts reflect new concern about an # old problem for software makers. "As we've seen organized criminal # enterprises focusing on counterfeiting and taking it to the # Internet, it is becoming an even more important problem for the # industry and the company," Microsoft Deputy General Counsel Brad # Smith said. # # Counterfeiters, many in Asia, have recently shifted distribution # networks onto the Web, which provides a host of benefits, # including anonymity. # # In addition to Latin America, Microsoft says recent seizures # have taken place in Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, the Philippines, # the People's Republic of China, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, # the United Kingdom, Romania, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Canada # and the U.S.