Pirate’s Cove

The first sight that caught my eye was a young lad standing between two policemen. He had a big,black bag slung over his shoulder. Waqar was only 12,and could have been mistaken for a schoolboy separated from his family on a computer-upgrading mission to Nehru Place. He was politely answering the questions posed by the two policemen. Well,all except one: Waqar would never tell on his employer. “I work alone. I don’t understand why you are holding me. My bag is empty,” he said.

The bag was not empty. It did not contain incriminating evidence,but it held two items that told the story: in alphabetical order,a photocopied list of the names of various software — Microsoft Windows 7 and Office,and almost every antivirus,graphics and networking software — and a pack of empty polythene DVD covers. Somehow,Waqar had managed to empty his bag of DVDs just before the police nabbed him.

Nehru Place is a collection of cavernous multi-storey buildings that host computer traders and government offices. It is also one of Delhi’s largest wholesale garment markets. Computers first came to Nehru Place in 1986.

Boys like Waqar are the face,and the lists,the evidence of piracy in Nehru Place,which is also one of the largest computer markets in Asia. Lists in hand,they hang out in the corridors of the three buildings that constitute the core of the complex,or even in front of shops that sell original software. When policemen arrive,they retreat into the dark recesses of the buildings,and live to sell another day.

In varying decibel levels — some under their breath,looking exactly in the opposite direction — all the boys introduce themselves the same way. “Software-games,” they say. The list comes out once someone asks a general question. “Graphics? Read the list. Look under ‘A.’ Autodesk and Adobe,” goes the answer. They never read the list for you. Once they know the software,the boys know in how many DVDs each copy comes in. It’s Rs 100 per DVD. They are open to negotiation.

Of course,it helps to learn by rote. Lists disappear for a brief period after every police raid. But it was not a police raid that got Waqar nabbed. The two constables,happily oblivious to the presence of other teenagers with lists they cannot read,had picked him up at random. “What can we do? He is below 18,and we cannot even slap him. We will hold on to him,and hope that the chap who gave him the DVDs to distribute makes an appearance,” said one of the policemen.

According to Tripta Chandola,who wrote a paper on the market in 2003 for the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies,this is a well-worn trick. “The agents always employ juveniles,so that they would be taken to juvenile courts. The children carry certificates to prove that they are below 18,” says Chandola,currently a post-doctoral fellow at the National University of Singapore. She goes on to narrate how a major software firm actively promoted pirated copies of its expensive software in the initial years to make it popular. The president of the All Delhi Computer Traders’ Association,Mahinder Aggarwal,is quick to tear into the ambiguous language used in the USTR list. “They have not done any study to prove their case. The US is just jealous that we are a computer superpower,” he says. He insists that none of the 1,300 registered members in Nehru Place possesses pirated software.

Piracy is no child’s play,and within minutes of Waqar’s detention,the murmur of “software-games” died down. The boys did not make an appearance for another hour and a half. When they did,Shiva,17,tried to offer me Autodesk’s 3D graphics software Maya for Rs 400. It sells at $ 3,495,as per its official website. “I have been here for three weeks. I was looking for a job,and one of the boys introduced me to the owner of a stall who stocks the DVDs for us,” he said.

Shiva’s description of the system of distribution was that of a left-hand-does-not-know-what-the-right-hand-does one. His disks are held for him by a stall-keeper,from whose collection Shiva takes a copy every time he strikes a deal. “Someone — I think he is from Yamuna paar — comes almost every day and leaves the DVDs with my boss,” he said. Shiva,who is paid anything between Rs 80 and 100 a day,seemed to be picking up fast. Once I showed interest in Maya,Shiva suggested also-buys: CorelDRAW 12 and 13 (he does not have the versions,14 and 15) and Adobe CS3,all offered for under Rs 250 each.

When I asked for a copy of Cisco’s Router Simulator software,used by students of the popular Cisco Certified Network Administrator (CCNA) course,the gears seemed to shift in his head. The software helps a student create a virtual computer network on her computer and is not what the buyer of a graphics application like Maya would want. “You should come back when you have made up your mind,” he said brusquely,moving on to a different customer.

Nehru Place is largely a hardware market. Even traders admit that there are only 20-30 shops that sell software. Most hardware companies — Dell,Sony,HP — have at least a dealer here,but no major software or game developer has a presence. “How realistic is it to ask a student who is paying

Rs 5,000 as course fee to pay Rs 50,000 for the Adobe software used to teach him? The companies simply would not reduce prices,” said the owner of a rare shop that deals almost exclusively in software.

There are no estimates available about the value of Nehru Place’s piracy market. There are indications,though,that it is under threat. “All laptops come pre-loaded with Windows 7 these days,and I am going to download the other software,” said Rajiv,a student of Delhi University who had bought two Dell laptops.

Among the other “pirates” mentioned on the USTR list are torrent websites like ThePirateBay,IsoHunt,Btjunkie,and Torrentz — the new face of piracy that could make markets like Nehru Place redundant. “Torrents assume a certain skill set,which most Indian users may not have,” said Chandola.

Understanding and selecting the right torrent needs a nuanced understanding of computers. This is probably why the availability of high-end games at Nehru Place has come down over the years: most gamers understand computers much better than the average user. The Nehru Place boys still peddle Grand Theft Auto and Spider-Man 3,but have not heard of Football Manager 2011,which has a very niche audience. The games they offer can be played only on computers,though the industry has endeared itself to gaming consoles. They are yet to get to expensive Blu-ray discs that Sony’s PlayStation 3 uses.

Technology companies are also cracking down. “Companies like Microsoft take anti-piracy campaigns seriously. We are apprised of new safety features every time they update them,” said Anuj Modi,director of Modi Infosol,one of the first computer traders in Nehru Place. “Companies have succeeded in inculcating fear in the minds of the traders,but most buyers see nothing illegal in all this. If the sale of original software is going up,it is because it has become an issue of respectability,” said Chandola.

Respectability,however,is a place that Nehru Place is struggling to find. As long as the schoolboys with their mysterious lists continue to hang around in prominent areas,its image as a pirate’s cove will outweigh any other.