War against piracy in Internet cafes

A project developed with the support of Microsoft, the Internet cafes chambers of Istanbul and Ankara as well as the Culture and Tourism Ministry to prevent software piracy has been promoted in the northwestern city of Kocaeli.

The 3+ Internet Cafe Project was explained to Internet cafe operators in a meeting held at an Internet cafe in the city.

Speaking at the meeting, Elçim Barkay, Microsoft Turkey’s copyright manager, said “3+” means a more secure, comfortable and high-speed Internet cafe. This is the result of a step that was taken around two years ago by the president of Internet cafe chambers, Barkay said.

“The top problem of Internet cafes is profitability,” Barkay said. “We have detected that there are 20,000 such cafes in Turkey and 98 percent of these cafes are operating with pirated software. Overall, the rate of pirated software use is 64 percent in Turkey. This rate not only threatens our security but also creates a dark picture regarding copyrights.”

Noting that the project is expected to reduce piracy rates, Barkay said: “Internet cafes are facing significant problems in terms of security, speed and survival. This project will eliminate distress. It will make decent Internet cafes profitable and help them become technology bases offering services to different segments.”

Barkay said the 3+ Internet Cafe Project was a business model with high standards, offering high-speed and secure Internet access with state-of-the-art technology products. “The unlicensed software used at these places, which offer services mostly for young people and millions of Internet users that do not have computers at home, may create significant problems in terms of security. It is crucial for these places, which are important communication and socializing centers, to operate at a certain quality standard, become profitable and even create brands. We support these enterprises with special offers for Windows 7 and Microsoft Office software as well as our special content for Windows Live platform, computer literacy and Internet security.”

Önder Kaplan, chairman of the Ankara Chamber of Internet Cafe Operators, said the project contributed to positioning these places as modern, decent and secure spaces.

Noting that the project aims to eliminate Internet cafes that offer services illegally, Kaplan said, “Internet cafes using pirate software are stealing both money and honor from the cafes that use licensed software, while eroding the esteem of the profession.”

Meanwhile, Ali Yakup Turanoğlu, chairman of the Istanbul Chamber of Internet Cafe Operators, said they have enabled the closure of over 1,700 cafes within two years in Istanbul, and added that they aim to clear the sector from the Internet cafes that are involved in illegal activities and use unlicensed software.

“We have introduced a system in which the ones complying with the rules will survive and the others will be closed down,” he said, adding that this is the only way to secure the rights of those that comply with the rules.

With the “3+ Internet Cafe” project, Internet cafes will obtain special up-to-date and original software with proper prices. The licenses costing as much as $650 for each computer will be available for just $100 with the project, which lasts until the end of the year. The cafes that are a part of the project will inform their users with signboards.