Punjabi University violates copyright law by using 'pirated' software

Tribune News Service

Ravneet Singh

Patiala, November 17

Punjabi University has been allegedly using pirated versions of software, including Microsoft and Corel Draw, in violation of the copyright law.

Corel Corporation has decided to initiate legal proceedings against the university in case it fails to ensure compliance with the law for using its software.

Various departments in the university have been allegedly using pirated copies of software and activation keys to access commercial software.

As per insiders, departments on the campus have allegedly been using pirated versions of some softwares for years.

Importantly, the university was recently contacted by Corel Corporation over the issue. Representatives at the corporation said it was regarding software compliance and unlicensed deployment of their copyright application.

“We have recorded 21 instances of Corel Draw, which are running without proper entitlements and consent. This is a breach of our copyrights,” the company said.

When contacted, Deepak Shetty from the legal and compliance wing of Corel Corporation, said they had sent a communication to the university regarding the lapse.

He said, “We have identified that non-compliant versions of the software have been in use at the university for over nine months. We are yet to receive a response from university officials.”

Vice Chancellor Prof Arvind said, “The university has started shifting from commercial software to free public domain open-source software. We have made progress in this regard. We are training our employees to use Linux. New computers that are being purchased by the university will also be Linux based.”

He said the Coral software could be used in a few departments. “We will take up the matter on receipt of a complaint,” he added.

About it

Pirated software is illegal version of proprietary software. Its use is in violation of the software copyright law and can invite legal proceedings and penalties.

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