The Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Taskforce, in a drive on Thursday, seized 69 laptops installed with pirated Microsoft software from a shop in Gulshan-1 in the capital.

The taskforce, along with the officials of Copyright Office and law enforcement agencies, conducted the raid after a month-long investigation, according to a statement.

There have been numerous efforts by the government to warn and educate retailers, but to no effect, Md Manzurur Rahman, convener of the IPR Taskforce, said in the statement.

"We are now taking actions against the entities selling or dealing in pirated and unlicensed software, and want to remind companies that their pirated software business is a breach of copyright law,” he said.

The use of pirated software also increases the risk of cyber crimes, he added.

"We applaud the government's commitment to promoting intellectual property rights. This is a major milestone in Bangladesh's effort to protect intellectual property," said Sonia Bashir Kabir, country manager of Microsoft Bangladesh.

"All corporates and retailers should take this as a serious message and stop using or selling pirated software."

A case has been filed and the Anti-Corruption Commission will investigate it, said Sirajul Islam, officer-in-charge of Gulshan Police Station. 

“Piracy is theft and it should not be tolerated. It is now the right time for the law enforcement agencies to show that intellectual property rights of the country should be respected,” said Barrister ABM Hamidul Mishbah, founder of Bangladesh Copyright and IP Forum.