An anti-piracy software campaign recently launched in the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania has significantly lifted Microsoft_s sales in the region, a company official announced Tuesday.
Published:
2 February 2000 y., Wednesday
"It was a tremendous success and we are starting to build our business in these countries," Bo Cruse, Microsoft managing director for the Baltic region said at a briefing in Vilnius. At the end of the six-month campaign, Microsoft_s sales in January were up around 500 percent in Lithuania, and 300 percent in Estonia and Latvia.
Software piracy remains common in the Baltic states. According to Microsoft_s estimates the percentage of illegal software dipped only from 92 percent to 81 percent in Lithuania, from 90 percent to 85 percent in Latvia and from 86 percent to 72 percent in Estonia following the legalization campaign.
The average for Europe is about 40 percent and for the Nordic countries about 35 percent, according to Norvald Heidel, Microsoft's anti-piracy manager for the Baltic and Nordic regions. Microsoft and the Business Software Alliance also worked with police and computer sellers to promote enforcement of software licenses. More than 30 court cases have been filed for copyright infringement following a crackdown on resellers and private users.
A Lithuanian government official admitted that 40-60 percent of the government_s software is illegal, and said that nearly $1 million would be needed to buy legal copies.
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
“Banking Market in the Baltics 2009-2011, CEE Banking Brief” report recently presented by Intelace Research states that, despite the current economic recession, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are still among the most advanced banking markets in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
more »
According to the unaudited data for three quarters 2009, AB Bank SNORAS earned LTL 4.1 million profit. Although the inter-banking market of the country fixed the banks’ asset decrease (- 4.6 per cent) since the beginning of the year, the assets of Bank SNORAS grew by LTL 249.3 million and were by 4 per cent higher than at the beginning of 2009.
more »
Taking into account changes on domestic money markets AB DnB NORD Bankas, a member of international financial group shall change individual and corporate time deposit rates from November 5.
more »
FL Technics, the leading aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider in Eastern Europe, has signed contracts with Air Italy and Air Slovakia for Boeing 737-300 aircraft base maintenance in Lithuania.
more »
Thales UK’s headquarters site in Weybridge has recently held a Halloween charity coffee morning, raising more than £280 for Marie Curie Cancer Care.
more »
New SaaS-Based Vulnerability-Scanning Solution Is Latest Addition to Company’s Application Security Program.
more »
Since 31 October 2009, only LTL 0.99 fee for accepting payments will be applied to clients while making payments for various services (utility fees, communication services, etc.) in all subdivisions of Bank SNORAS.
more »
AB DnB NORD Bankas, the country‘s leader in investment products market, offers a new possibility for the clients to make repurchase deals (repo deals) in the bank’s newly installed on-line trading platform.
more »
The benefits of the integration of eastern Europe’s financial systems into the world economy outweigh the costs that have been highlighted during the global economic crisis, the EBRD has concluded in a new report.
more »
On 22 October 2009, following the favourable opinion expressed in September by the Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture, the Commission adopted a Regulation establishing the implementing rules for the 2008 Regulation to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
more »