Microsoft has filed civil proceedings against a well-known Indian software dealer, Software India of Mumbai, and its director Vasant Agarwal, on allegations that Software India is selling counterfeit versions of Microsoft's Windows 95 OEM software and mice. This is the first time that Microsoft Corporation has taken such an action against a company alleged to be selling counterfeit versions of its Windows 95 OEM software.

Adobe Systems has entered into a partnership with the National Association of Computer Trainers to provide Adobe's flagship product, Adobe PhotoShop 5.0, at very affordable prices to NACT members for training purposes. The partnership will form an integral part of Adobe's anti-piracy campaign. Adobe has been joined by other software vendors like Autodesk, Parametric Technology Corporation, Microsoft in this exercise to ensure that computer training centres give their studentsan opportunity to work on genuine software. According to S Bharwani, president of NACT, "you cannot go on stealing somebody else's effort for your benefit. The institutes can play a major role since we train a significant portion of the manpower in computer industry."

In the Microsoft case, the company's counsel accompanied by a court-appointed commissioner executed orders against the company and its director. The order allows premises to be searched where there is a reason to believe that the company's rights are being infringed.

The orders allowed 900 CD ROMs, 150 mice and a copy of the Microsoft Windows 95 OEM pack, identified as counterfeit product by an independent technical expert, to be taken into custody. The commissioner's report is expected to be filed with the Delhi high court within a week. According to a Microsoft press release, revenue losses for business and entertainment software due to worldwide piracy were estimated at $11.4 billion in 1997. In India it is estimated that the piracy rateis 69 per cent. India has some of the toughest laws to deal with this problem but there is a need for better awareness and better enforcement.

Microsoft has added anti-piracy to its products to make it easier for PC vendors, consumers and law enforcement officials to identify illegal software easily and quickly. Three new security features on Windows 98 are a 3-D hologram on the hub with the word `genuine' appearing in the light, a new certificate of authenticity, now on the cover of the product manual. This contains a special heat sensitive strip, a watermark design and a new high security design and an ingenious heat sensitive strip across the top of each product manual.