"Developing a strong IP regime is critical (for India's growth). It is fundamental to the Indian government and economic growth. IP protection ends up being good for the country's own economic development, for tax revenues, for driving a culture of innovation, of invention and of creativity...," Microsoft Associate General Counsel (Worldwide Anti-Piracy and Anti-Counterfeiting) David Finn told PTI here.
Estimates show that software piracy rate in India is around 65 per cent. Globally, counterfeiting and piracy activities cause billions of dollars worth of economic losses and affect millions of jobs.
"I am very optimistic and am encouraged by what I have seen in India... The piracy rate will reduce and I am optimistic that the piracy rate will continue to come down in India, both because of some of the positive signs I have seen and also because ultimately strong IPR protection helps the Indian government and the Indian economy," he said.
Describing the menace of software piracy as a "challenging and complex problem", Finn noted that there are many kinds of piracy in India, including hard disc loading and underlicensing.
