Washington, D.C. (Aug 4, 2006)– The Business Software Alliance (BSA) praised the United States Senate for ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, the first and only international treaty addressing the need for global cooperation in investigating and prosecuting computer network crimes.
The Convention promotes a unified approach among nations to ratify similar laws against hacking, computer-facilitated fraud, child pornography, copyright infringement and other crimes committed through digital means. It removes or minimizes legal obstacles that currently impede U.S. investigations and prosecutions of computer- related crimes overseas.
BSA and its members have long advocated for the Convention’s ratification, working closely over the years with the Administration, members of the Senate, the Justice Department, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a broad coalition of supporters.
“This Convention will serve as an important tool in the global fight against cyber criminals and encourage greater cooperation among nations,” said BSA President and CEO Robert Holleyman. “Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar and Ranking Member Joseph Biden, in particular, should be applauded for their leadership in guiding the Convention toward ratification. Senator James Inhofe also played an important role in recent months in building acceptance for the Cybercrime Convention.”
While the Convention does not change U.S. policy, the agreement will help domestic agencies in their international efforts by minimizing obstacles to international cooperation that currently impede U.S. investigations and prosecutions of computer-related crimes.
“Cyber criminals are not limited by borders, and this treaty will help ensure that law enforcement isn’t either,” said Holleyman.
The United States will become the 16th of the 43 signatory countries to have completed the ratification process and become full participants in the Convention.
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About BSA
The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) is the foremost organization dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world. BSA is the voice of the world's commercial software industry and its hardware partners before governments and in the international marketplace. Its members represent one of the fastest growing industries in the world. BSA programs foster technology innovation through education and policy initiatives that promote copyright protection, cyber security, trade and e-commerce. BSA members include Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Avid, Bentley Systems, Borland, Cadence Design Systems, Cisco Systems, CNC Software/Mastercam, Dell, Entrust, HP, IBM, Intel, Internet Security Systems, McAfee, Microsoft, PTC, RSA Security, SAP, SolidWorks, Sybase, Symantec, Synopsys, The MathWorks and UGS.
Contact Information
Karen Dorbin
Dittus Communications
karen.dorbin@dittus.com
+1 202-715-1538
Lisa Merchant
Business Software Alliance
lisam@bsa.org
+44 (0) 20 7201 0156
