Microsoft has reached a deal with Indonesia over the tens of thousands of pirated versions of Windows programs used in government departments.
Ministers said Microsoft had agreed an amnesty under which a token sum of one dollar will be paid for every computer found to be using illegal software. In exchange, the government has promised to buy Microsoft merchandise legally in future. Indonesia has one of the world"s highest rates of pirated programs.
"Realistic" deal
The deal between Microsoft and the Indonesian government is said to affect up to 50,000 computers running illegal software. Press reports said the amnesty was proposed last month, when the Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono met Microsoft boss Bill Gates at the company"s Seattle headquarters.