Microsoft Corp. announced the launch of Consumer Online Protection Day in Central and Eastern Europe, including Malta, to address the region's software piracy rate.

According to the seventh annual BSA/IDC piracy study published last week, software piracy in this region remains the highest in the world at 64 per cent.

Microsoft said that the police in Malta were investigating a number of individuals and companies that actively engaged in software piracy.

The objective of Consumer Online Protection Day is to educate consumers and combat the illegal trade of counterfeit software over the internet.

Research has revealed that 60 per cent of websites offering counterfeit software or enabling tools include a varying degree of security threats that can potentially impact information systems. The BSA/IDC piracy study also indicated that 43 per cent of all PCs worldwide run counterfeit or unlicensed software, representing a commercial value of $51.4 billion a year.

In the past few years, Microsoft received over 280,000 reports from consumers who unknowingly purchased counterfeit software.

Jacqueline Harvey, antipiracy manager for Microsoft Malta, said: "Consumers in Malta who unknowingly download counterfeit software have a high risk of exposing their computers to malware and viruses. Protecting consumers from the pitfalls of security threats and potential losses of personal data due to online piracy is important to us and today's announcement is another step to raise awareness of these growing trends and how consumers can protect themselves."