Combating piracy together. Check it out:
(New Straits Times Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) THERE are two main reasons why pirated goods, information and communications technology (ICT) products and services included, still exist in the market.
Firstly is the cost factor where consumers are more than willing to compromise on quality and service as long as they can possess an "almost- true-to-original" product at a cheap price.
Secondly, more tragic is when consumers are duped into getting an inferior quality counterfeit while paying for what they believe is original.
If the purchases were made for personal use, the damage is just contained to one irritated consumer who hopefully can hunt down the irresponsible reseller and get his money back. But if the products were bought in bulk by an organisation for whatever usage, imagine how the poor performance of the counterfeits can impact operations - particularly business-critical operations.
This scenario is a major worry for ICT companies who are intellectual property (IP) owners, both local and international.
For local companies in general, the counterfeits would eat into their market and affect their market competitiveness - here and abroad.
International ICT companies like Motorola Inc, which spend millions annually on product research and development, take the matter seriously and are aggressively combating piracy.
Just last week, Motorola networks and enterprise division's distribution director for South Asia Albert Wong shared with the local Press the result of a lawsuit the company filed September last year against Chinese company Quanzhou Fei Jie Electronic Co Ltd for patent infringement.
The company, also known as Linton, has been ordered to end production and discontinue all manufacture and sales of its LT-2188/3188 two-way radios.
Although Wong said there are no such cases of patent infringement for Motorola in Malaysia, consumers should be wary of the fact that counterfeits like those produced by Linton can infiltrate beyond the Chinese market.
While Motorola is ready to address the issue through legal measures, he said customers could protect their interests by visiting the 15 Motorola Genuine Outlets (MGOs) in the country for their Motorola product purchases or to verify on whatever concerns they have on Motorola products they have bought in the market.
Efforts like these are laudable as they provide both IP owner and product users a positive experience that would bring benefits to both parties.
ICT owners should provide the education and facilities to create more informed consumers so that they will be assured of customer loyalty for future products. And consumers also should take it upon themselves to be better informed and be more responsible in their purchasing so that they can continue to expect better quality products.
Copyright 2006 The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad. Source: Financial Times Information Limited - Asia Intelligence Wire.
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