The Dubai Police recently raided a computer shop in Dubai and seized two PCs uploaded with Windows 98, Office 2000, Norton Anti-virus and Adobe Photoshop 7.0, along with eight counterfeit CDs. One person was arrested during the raid and charged with violation of the Copyright Law.
The latest raid, part of a sustained anti-piracy campaign, was conducted in coordination with Business Software Alliance (BSA), which monitored the activities of the offending store and tipped the police.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has implemented tough measures to protect intellectual property rights by introducing legislation that prescribes stiff penalties for violators, and supporting its resolve by conducting persistent raids on violating companies as well as end-users. A study conducted by BSA has shown that the UAE has successfully brought down the piracy penetration from 86 percent in 1994 to 36 percent in 2002. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
