Software piracy rate in Qatar drops almost 10 percentage points within last 5 years

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Software piracy rate in Qatar has decreased by almost 10 percentage points within the last five years, according to recent industry reports, as a result of anti-piracy efforts initiated by the government and several private organizations focused on the battle against software copyright infringement. In line with its aims to assist in the abolition of piracy in the region, Autodesk, the world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building, and media and entertainment markets, has partnered with Ministry of Business & Trade in Qatar to promote copyright protection in the country.

At present, the government, in coordination with the Arabian Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAA) and the Qatar Ministry of Business and Trade, is spearheading intensive raids to apprehend violators of intellectual property rights (IPR) of developers of software products. Similarly, Autodesk's intensive efforts to combat software piracy are being driven by its commitment to its network of third-party software developers who are ultimately bearing the brunt of the global practice of copyright theft.

"We are proud that anti-piracy efforts we have undertaken through the support of the Qatari Government and in collaboration with associations of players in IT and software industries are paying off, as evident in the decline in piracy rate percentage points seen over the past five-year period," said Abdullah Ahmed Qayed, Head of Copyright & Neighboring Right Office, Ministry of Business and Trade - Qatar. "We have long since identified the enormous toll that rampant piracy takes on the growth of the national business and influx of foreign investments in the IT industry. We acknowledge the support of leading software companies such as Autodesk in empowering our campaign, and we are certain that their contribution to this movement will further drive its success."

This agreement follows Autodesk's recent partnership with the government bodies and IPR agencies in the region, which focuses on increasing awareness on the benefits of using genuine software. In line with the company's growing efforts to sustain the downward trend in piracy across the region, Autodesk's strategy is to continuously support all engineering and architectural firms in Qatar, by providing them licensed engineering and infrastructural design software, which can help them raise their productivity levels.

"Qatar is witnessing a steady decline in piracy rates, amidst the aggressive growth of the regional IT sector. As a leader in design software, we are fully committed to upholding the intellectual property rights of the authors of these applications, and in the process help Qatar and other regional governments in their fight against illegal distribution of design software and other copyright protected applications. We would also like to commend the excellent efforts of Abdullah Ahmed Qayed, for the continuous support he has given us for this campaign," concluded Eng. Asdaf Al Khalidi, IPR and License Compliance Executive, Autodesk Middle East.