• What is software piracy?
• Economic Impact
• Why should we fight software piracy?
• Know the law

• Identifying genuine software
• Tools & Resources for Businesses

• Business Software Alliance (BSA)
• BSA partners and members

Microsoft Genuine Software

Don't forget to turn your PC upside down!

Check the Certificate of Authenticity sticker (COA) at the back of your PC and make sure you buy a genuine Microsoft software.

A COA is a label that helps you identify genuine Microsoft software. A COA is not a software license – it is a visual identifier that assists in determining whether or not the Microsoft software you are running is genuine. However, without it, you will not have a legal license to run Microsoft software. A COA should never be purchased by itself without the software it authenticates.

Buying a new PC is an important investment. Protect yourself against counterfeit software that exposes you to viruses and to spy software that can cause important loss of data.

Contact Microsoft or a reliable partner for a customised set-up of your PC. You will also access all the up-dates available to actualize and protect your PC' s software

Adobe Genuine Software

Pirated copies of Adobe software will usually lack proper documentation, have inadequate packaging, have handwritten or no labels on discs, poor quality graphics and printing on discs and no Adobe copyright notice. Be wary of phrases like “for backup purposes only”, “cannot be registered”, or “for education purposes only”.

Ensure your software has both SID code and IFPI number in the inner non-print area of your CD and that the CD is silver-pressed and not burned. The security sticker label on the jewel case must be plastic not paper and should reflect the SKU number. Starting with the Creative Suite 5 (CS5), all products will have a regionalized English SKU.

Adobe serial numbers consist of six groups of four digits and are unique for each product. Qualified Adobe Partners will never send the Serial Number noted on the invoice or printed on the CD, sleeve or jewel case.

The price of the software also gives a good indication of its authenticity as pirated copies are usually far below the normal retail price.

Always buy your software from a reputable Adobe Authorised Reseller. For a complete list of Adobe Authorised Resellers in Mauritius, visit www.maurisoft.com .

Symantec Genuine Software

When you purchase a Symantec product, you are essentially purchasing a license to use the product. In other words, Symantec continues to own the software but you, the end-user, are granted permission to use the software on a limited number of computers for the service/subscription period.

The license to use the product comes in the form of a product key. Your product key is located on a yellow sticker attached to either the back of the white sleeve that holds your CD or the activation card that accompanied your software. You are required to activate your product with this product key within 15 days after you install the software on your PC. If you fail to activate your product in 15 days, then it may stop working.

In addition to serving as a means of transferring a license from Symantec to the consumer, product activation is designed to protect customers from pirated or counterfeit software, as well as to be certain that the customer receives appropriate levels of product support and customer service.

Other software

If you are unsure or have doubts about the authenticity of a software, feel free to email us and ask for help: info@gogenuine.mu