National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) has taken the lead in enforcing the protection of intellectual property rights through a deal that will entitle its staff and students to NT$100,000 worth of Microsoft software for just NT$100.
Chang Chun-yen (
"Today's event not only sets a fine example for the nation's educational institutions, but also reflects the strong response of educational institutions and the business sector to the government's policy to enforce intellectual property rights," Huang said.
Under the agreement, the university will buy software from Microsoft, which will authorize the university to copy it and sell the copies to the students.
Although Huang declined to reveal the exact price students would be charged for the software, the director of NCTU's Computer and Network Center, Chen Yiao-chung (陳耀宗), later told reporters that with Microsoft Taiwan's concessionary discount and generous subsidies from the university, students would pay NT$100.
For their NT$100, students and staff at NCTU can get MS Windows, Office, Back Office, Visual Studio, Frontpage, Publisher and Press.
Asked whether the subsidies to students would place a heavy financial burden on the university, Chang answered, "Only when we respect intellectual property rights will intellectual property develop.
"Compared to the price we would have to pay for IPR infringements, the cost of CA 3.0 is not expensive at all."
The agreement, designed specifically for universities, is renewable every year and will allow the schools to vary their software requirements at the time of renewal. The students will become the licensed owners of their software.
Eunice Chiou said that such agreements between computer software companies and educational institutions are common in other countries and that she hoped that after NCTU's initial move, other Taiwan educational institutions will feel encouraged to follow suit.
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