Fraud, piracy rampant in State

 
Speaking at a workshop on counterfeiting and piracy, he said that pirated CDs, DVDs, MP3s, fake Ayurvedic drugs, cell phone batteries and pirated computer operating systems of Microsoft and other companies were easily available in the market.

Pointing out that Karnataka was the only State with three drug testing labs, Dr B R Jagashetty, State Drugs Controller, stressed that the menace of counterfeiting needed to be curbed using newer technologies.

Sajan Poovayya, Chairman, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Karnataka State Council, said that 40 per cent of the music industry suffered from piracy and lost Rs 600 crore annually. The film industry suffers a loss of Rs 2,000 crore every year.