Mail Call.(Letter to the Editor)

Fighting Software Pirates

Our April 9 report on software piracy prompted many readers to express their impassioned opinions on counterfeiting and on Microsoft. "Congratulations on your topnotch reporting," offered one letter writer, who pointed out that "piracy is not limited to software." Warning us against "fake food and medicines," another reader insisted that "consumers need police protection." Still others vented their grievances against Microsoft's monopoly, its high prices and its refusal to bundle software with computers outside the United States. Said one reader: "Microsoft itself contributes to people's wanting to buy pirated software."

Counterfeit Culture

Congratulations to Stryker McGuire for his topnotch reporting and to the Microsoft anti-piracy crew for their grit and perseverance ("Microsoft Cops," BUSINESS, April 9). Microsoft should be praised for its efforts, not least by those of us who face similar problems around the globe. Obviously, counterfeiting and piracy are not limited to software: consumer-product companies suffer billions of dollars in losses every year, thanks to these criminals who make and sell every imaginable product that turns a profit. These include everything from fake shampoo, liquor and cigarettes to motorcycles (in China). The counterfeit trade is not a "harmless" industry as some people may imagine. It is a nasty and vicious business that dupes customers, defrauds brand owners and robs governments of needed tax revenues. Most worrisome, the counterfeit trade is just another profitable activity for organized crime and helps to fund other activities that often make the front pages of newspapers.

Andrew White

Vice President, Brand Integrity

Philip Morris International