The Zone

ESA to work with the MPA to combat piracy in Malaysia

It looks like the game industry in Malaysia is about to get a huge boost, no less from the Entertainment Software Association themselves. The Escapist reports that the ESA is working together with the Motion Picture Association to increase anti-piracy in Malaysia.

The move is the first coordinated effort put together between the two agencies, and also represents the ESA's first attempt at reducing piracy in Malaysia, where large-scale infringement of intellectual property rights is common. "The ESA focuses resources where we save U.S. jobs, enhance the value of the videogame industry and get results," said ESA President Michael Gallagher. "Piracy penalizes investment and harms the ability of videogame companies to make great games. We are proud to partner with MPA on this program which will protect investment, innovation and job creation - as well as build a strong foundation for expanded trade with Malaysia."

Representative Adam Schiff, co-chair of the Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus in the U.S., said, "I'm encouraged by this news and commend this joint enforcement effort. Malaysia has been a nation of concern with regard to international piracy for some time now, and this is exactly the type of private industry support and cooperation needed to crack down on this problem."

This is an encouraging move. For years, game piracy in Malaysia has continued to be a major problem for the game industry in the region. Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo have been reluctant to launch their games and consoles here due to the lack of enforcement by authorities to stem the sale of pirated games, forcing gamers who wanted to buy original games to parallel import titles and consoles at higher prices. Now with the support of the ESA and public acknowledgement of the seriousness of game piracy here, perhaps we can see some real action taken on combating piracy in the country after all these years.

The Escapist article
ESA press release
Game Politics article