In a bid to curb piracy, Microsoft India and industry players like Dell, HCL, HP, Lenovo, Sahara, Wipro and Zenith have launched a campaign "Asli Window ka Asli offer" aimed at making genuine software easily accessible.

The customers are liable to get gifts worth of Rs 4000 in addition to two of broadband connection free and discount on antivirus software.

According to Senior Director Microsoft India, the company has lost approximately $566 million in India in the year 2005; which is indicative enough of the spreading piracy plague.

According to industry study, 25per cent of such websites attempt to install malicious or potentially unwanted software while 11 per cent of the key generators downloaded from peer-to-peer networks containing potentially damaging software.

Vice- President, Brand & Marketing Lenovo South Asia said that the long-term effects of a pirated software could lead to security and privacy breech.

(Source: Business Standard 5th January 2007)