"We begin a large-scale, ruthless fight against computer piracy in Poland," Eric Koenig, a deputy president of the Alliance, told a news conference earlier this week.


Based in Washington, Business Software Alliance groups such software producers as Aldus, Lotus Development, Microsoft and WordPerfect.


He said the Alliance will send controllers to producers and distributors suspected of disseminating pirate software and file lawsuits if necessary.


Legal actions will be accompanied by an educational campaign in the media, he said.


An effective crackdown on piracy is possible under the recently approved copyright law that raised standards of intellectual property protection.


Software piracy is a major issue in the former Communist bloc, where it is common for copyright laws to be nonexistent and enforcement to be poor.


The Polish law, which took effect Feb. 23, provides for up to five years in prison plus heavy fines and confiscation of equipment for all kinds of unauthorized copying and distribution of Polish and foreign intellectual property.


It is estimated that software piracy in Poland causes loses of $200 million yearly to copyright owners.


Before the law took effect, computer programs had been easily available at retailers for a fraction of their original price, which discouraged software companies from doing business in Poland.