Sony Warns Asian Governments To Fight Piracy

Sony Warns Asian Governments To Fight Piracy

In a keynote speech during this year's GC Asia conference in Singapore, Sony Computer Entertainment Asia president Tetsuhiko Yasuda warned governments in the South-East Asia to strengthen their fight against piracy, which he described as the main threat to the development of the games industry in the region.

"I would like to extend my gratitude to the solid efforts that the Singapore government has made," he said. "However, with just a moment of relaxation in efforts to uphold copyright protection, it's possible that the same old problem will occur again."

"Therefore it is essential for the country to understand that upholding copyright protection is indispensable for the stable development of the software industry."

Tetsuhiko mentioned the company's agreement with Nanyang Polytechnic, signed in April this year to train students on PlayStation 3 development. He then cautioned that future projects created as a result would be at risk.

"In that situation, those students who have made game development their life's dream will suffer the most, and will possibly damage their motivation for creating games," he said. "We cannot allow the activity of the pirate copy providers, who only care about making a quick profit, to destroy the dreams and motivation of the students - they are the very enemies to the creator."

"Together we should remain vigilant against this unscrupulous pirated product providers - I'm prepared to devote the rest of my life to copyright protection."