While completing my latest writing for Dawn Sci-Tech, I came to know that Pakistan has been honored to be designated as a "Priority Foreign Country" because of its thriving underground business in illicit digital products by IIPA (International Intellectual Property Alliance). Pakistan has long suffered from piracy, and with the recent actions by our government, things has become more sophisticated. According to their report, estimate trade losses due to poor copyright laws are about 9 million dollars a year, as of 2004. After the recent raids and sealing of facilities at Rainbow center, a trade hub of illegal softwares, and different parts of the country has been very effective in promoting the piracy. Since then, the costs of each pirated disk has increased about 25% just to cover the loses faced by local shops and their copying facilites at remote locations. I wonder where it will lead us to. This ain't gonna stop like this, people are becoming more and more aware of piracy everyday, but cannot stop themselves from their ever increasing thurst for cheap copies of music, videos and softwares. We need to bring more awareness to our people as an alternative of pirated softwares available in the shape of Open Source. This is not a war between two companies and their businesses, this is infact the matter of our reputation, our image in front of the world. We never thought, even once, before using illegal softwares, that what we are bringing to our country. Are we returning the favor as a true patriot? It is the time to realize that governement is playing its role and it is upto us to adopt other alternatives in order to kill ever increasing piracy, and to stop the Pirates of the Cyberspace to sail their ships in our country forever, at least for a better tomorrow!

Download IIPA's "2005 Special 301" report from here in pdf format.