Bahraini Ministry of Information conducted on Tuesday, July 16, raids against two groups of trading companies and two computer resellers suspected for using illegal software. Over 80 PCs loaded with unlicensed or counterfeit software were found during the raids, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) reported.
In May, the BSA published alarming information about copyright infringement in Bahrain: in 2000 the country still suffered an illegal software rate of over 80 percent, putting it among the world's top ten most affected IT markets.
The highest piracy rates in the Arab world were found in Lebanon ― 83 percent, Qatar ― 81 percent, and both Bahrain and Kuwait ― 80 percent, said the BSA report. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) had the lowest piracy rate among the Arab countries.
The Egyptian performance in combating piracy was the most impressive in the world last year, with the country's piracy rate dropping from 75 percent in 1999 to 56 percent in 2000, the report concluded. ― (MENA Report)
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
