Indian products will have edge using genuine IT, says Microsoft

The usage of genuine IT in the manufacturing sector will not only differentiate the Indian products but will also give it an edge over the products of their competitors, a Microsoft official has said.

"According to the new unfair competition laws in certain US states, sale of products which are being manufactured and distributed using illegal information technology, for example pirated software, is prohibited," said Tabrez Ahmad, director, IP policy of the software major.

"The law's objective is to create a level playing field for law abiding manufacturers by obligating the non-compliant manufacturers to show use of genuine and legal IT before their products can be distributed and sold in certain territories of US," he said at a function here Wednesday.

"If the Indian manufacturers - who are into exports in US - use genuine IT, then they can score over competitors who are using non-genuine IT because their products will be scrapped," said Ahmad.

Leading IP boutique law firms also feel that India can increase its exports to US and come to a level playing field with China, which tops the list.

"If Indian manufacturers start now by using genuine IT for manufacturing and distribution, then they can easily gain momentum in the competition in terms of exports to US as nearly 79 percent of the Chinese manufacturers use non-genuine IT," said Sunil K. Singh of Saikrishna & Associates.

"This is a big opportunity against China where software piracy and hardware counterfeiting is among the highest in the world. And since China is also the largest exporter of manufactured products to US, they will face maximum challenges. Even an increase in two percent of export to US can have a very positive impact on our economy," he said.