The Business Software Alliance (BSA) has welcomed a series of actions that were taken recently by the Ministry of Information of the Kingdom of Bahrain against companies using unlicensed software in their daily operations. Two companies were raided, where 74 PCs were found to be loaded with unlicensed computer applications. This step reiterates the intent of the Bahraini government to apply copyright laws and abide by international treaties.
BSA regional director Jawad Al Redha commented on this new development, saying that the Kingdom of Bahrain was amongst the first countries of the region to encourage the information technology sector and defend its rights and the rights of those working in it.
He also said that the Kingdom is well aware of the importance that copyright implementation has on the growth of the information technology sector in the country, and that action against infringement makes it very clear that people who choose to go against the law have to face the results of their illegal activities.
More than 11 computer programs were found on the confiscated PCs, representing thousands of Bahraini Dinars in losses to the information technology sector. These included Microsoft Windows 95 and 98, NT, and 2000; Microsoft Office 97 and Visual Basic 4.0 and 5.0, in addition to Adobe Photoshop 5,5 and Symantec Norton Anti Virus 2002 and Autodesk Autocad 14 and 2002.
BSA is an international organization representing leading software and e-commerce developers in 65 countries around the world. Established in 1988, BSA has offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The BSA’s efforts include educating computer users about software copyrights; advocating public policy that fosters innovation and expands trade opportunities; and fighting software piracy. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
