Continuing their crackdown on violators of intellectual property rights, the Abu Dhabi authorities in coordination with the Ministry of Information in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), recently raided a construction company in and seized 11 PCs loaded with pirated software including Windows Office, Autodesk and Norton Antivirus.
The UAE is one of the leading countries in the Middle East that has effectively reduced illegal software trading by adopting a series of campaigns against violators of copyright laws, stated a press release.
The UAE authorities have taken concrete and tough measures to enforce intellectual property rights (IPR) by introducing laws that prescribe stiff penalties for violators. This has resulted in a steep decline in piracy rates in the UAE, from 86 percent in 1994 to 36 percent in 2002.
Business Software Alliance (BSA) and the UAE Ministry of Information, in coordination with local and international IT companies, have been working jointly to eliminate the trade and usage of illegal software. BSA has recently undertaken a massive public service campaign targeting end-users, to raise awareness about the negative effects of using pirated software in their systems.
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. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
