SIBU: The Sarawak Cybercafe Association is crying foul over what its members claim as unfair trade practice by local area network (LAN) game software distributors and dealers.
Its chairman Arthur Wong said software distributors and dealers prohibited cybercafe operators from buying their licensed software at a one-off payment and instead demanded a monthly payment of RM150 for each computer where the software was installed.
“We have been making the RM150 monthly payment for the past ten years,” he told reporters here, adding that this was among issues discussed at the association’s 22nd annual general meeting on
Sunday.
He added that with the same amount, cybercafe operators would have been able to buy the same software at a one-off payment.
Wong said the members felt that the monthly payment was not justified as there was no monthly upgrades for the software.
“We hope that the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry can help by enforcing the Competition Act to ensure that consumers or users are given the freedom to choose and purchase products and any number of copies for their outlets,” he said. — Bernama