美国联邦调查局(FBI)昨日表示，中国警方和美国联邦调查局联合进行的一次打击盗版软件的"空前"行动，已逮捕25名嫌犯，缴获价值5亿美元的盗版软件。

An "unprecedented" joint crackdown on software piracy by Chinese police and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation has led to 25 arrests and the seizure of counterfeit software worth $500m, the FBI said yesterday.

此次针对盗版微软(Microsoft)和其它美国公司商品的调查，受到了微软的欢迎。该美国软件巨头称其是"打击软件盗版行为的里程碑"。微软表示："预计此次行动的一个直接结果，将是世界各国的盗版软件数量大幅下降。"

The investigations into goods pirated from Microsoft and other US companies were hailed by the American software giant as a "milestone in the fight against software piracy". It said: "Countries around the world are expected to experience a significant decrease in the volume of counterfeit software as a direct result of this action."

美国联邦调查局表示，此次行动是一次"空前的合作行动"，共缴获了29万张盗版软件光碟。

The FBI said the action was an "unprecedented co-operative effort" that had seized 290,000 counterfeit software CDs.

此次调查包括了针对一个盗版组织采取的行动，微软称，相信该组织是"全球最大的此类团体"。调查可能有助于缓解美国政府的失望情绪。华盛顿方面认为，中国当局缺乏打击侵犯知识产权行为的决心。这一问题已成为中美摩擦的一个重要源头。

The investigations - which involved action against one pirate syndicate that Microsoft said was believed to be "the largest of its kind in the world" - could help ease frustration in Washington about a perceived lack of determination among Chinese authorities to crack down on intellectual property violations, an issue that has become a big source of Sino-US friction.

两年前，联邦调查局就加强了与中国地方执法机构的合作。当时有人担心，盗版纠纷正将中美贸易关系置于危险境地。

The FBI stepped up its co-operation with local law enforcement authorities two years ago amid concerns that disputes over piracy were putting Sino-US trade relationship at risk.

美国联邦调查局表示，在一次行动中，中国警方在上海逮捕了11人，冻结了50万美元资产和5处房产，同时缴获了涉嫌用于盗版美国电脑安全公司赛门铁克(Symantec)软件产品的设备。

In one of the resulting cases, the FBI said Chinese police in Shanghai had arrested 11 people, frozen $500,000 in assets and five properties, and seized equipment allegedly used to make software products pirated from US computer security company Symantec.

在南部城市深圳，当地机构与美国联邦调查局及行业调查人员合作，针对14个生产或从事盗版软件生产或交易的团体进行了打击。这些软件曾被销往世界各地。

In the southern city of Shenzhen, local authorities co-operating with the FBI and industry investigators had targeted 14 groups producing or trading counterfeit software that was sold around the world.

商业软件联盟(Business Software Alliance)称，在中国个人电脑使用的软件中，盗版软件比例占82%。

Counterfeits account for 82 per cent of the software used in personal computers in China, according to the Business Software Alliance