[A2k] Romanian president says piracy helped build IT industry

[Judit Rius Sanjuan]

in front of Bill Gates... Gates made no comment.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/01/AR2007020100715.html


Piracy worked for us, Romania president tells Gates
Reuters
Thursday, February 1, 2007

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Pirated Microsoft Corp software helped Romania to
build a vibrant technology industry, Romanian President Traian Basescu
told the company's co-founder Bill Gates on Thursday.

Basescu was meeting the software giant's chairman in Bucharest to
celebrate the opening of a Microsoft global technical center in the
Romanian capital.

"Piracy helped the young generation discover computers. It set off the
development of the IT industry in Romania," Basescu said during a joint
news conference with Gates.

"It helped Romanians improve their creative capacity in the IT industry,
which has become famous around the world ... Ten years ago, it was an
investment in Romania's friendship with Microsoft and with Bill Gates."

Gates made no comment.

Former communist Romania, which has just joined the European Union,
introduced anti-piracy legislation 10 years ago but copyright
infringements are still rampant.

Experts say some 70 percent of software used in Romania is pirated, and
salesmen still visit office buildings in central Bucharest to sell
pirated CDs and DVDs.

Foreign investors say Romania's IT sector is one of most promising
industries in the fast-growing economy thanks to high level of technical
education in Romania, low wages and the country's thriving underworld of
computers hackers.