Set up computer software rental company: Muhyiddin
Sarawak Tribune - Wednesday, May 14 2003 

KUALA LUMPUR - Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday proposed that the private sector set up a company to rent out computer software to consumers.

He said that this would not only reduce the use of pirated software but would also help consumers to save installation costs.

"We only have to rent the software and when we're done, we return it to the company," he told reporters after opening a seminar on "Intellectual Property Rights and Globalisation: According to the Islamic Perspective" organised by the ministry and the Malaysian Institute of Islamic Understanding (Ikim), here.

Muhyiddin said that if the move was not against the law, the ministry would give encouragement to any party wanting to set up such a company.

On efforts to curb pirated video compact disc (VCD) problem, he said that the ministry could step up the raids but the problem would not end without the cooperation of consumers, the industry and the copyright owners.

"In some cases, the copyright owners did not even turn up to help the prosecution after the arrests were made," he said.

He was stressing this point because of allegations that the ministry was not carrying out enough raids to curb the problem, he said.

He said that following the raids, the ministry had succeeded in reducing the number of pirated VCD outlets at the night markets to 520 from 2,000.

He also said that the ministry wanted to lower the copyright infringement rate to that in the developed countries, which is 20 per cent.

"If we can go down to 20 per cent, then we have achieved the international benchmark," he said.