Ministry of Information and Dubai Police raid illegal software reseller in Dubai, arrest employee and confiscate counterfeit CDs and PC, as part of their persistent efforts to stamp out piracy.
The Arabian Anti-piracy Alliance (AAA) today announced that the Ministry of Information and the Dubai Police have conducted a raid against a computer reseller in Dubai, where a man was arrested for possession and use of illegal software. In total, 47 pirated CDs and a computer loaded with illegal programs were confiscated, including illegal copies of Adobe
Photoshop, Microsoft Office and Windows.
These raids are part of an ongoing effort by the government to eradicate the use of illegal software nation wide, in order to support the country’s fast evolving information technology industry, according to a BSA press release.
Since the copyright law was passed in 1992, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has joined the fight against illegal software proliferation and has achieved the lowest piracy levels in the region, where they stood at 44 percent as per the latest studies, in comparison with the region’s average of 57 percent.
“Our aim is not to raid people, it is to inform them of the harm that they are causing on the economy when they sell or use illegal software, and help them legalize their activities. But sometimes we are forced to take action: before a raid is planned or executed, the target individuals or businesses are given several notices to license their software, so when they are
raided, it is only because they have insisted on choosing the illegal route,” said Scott Butler, AAA chief executive officer.
The Business Software Alliance (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. As the "voice" of the software industry, the BSA helps governments and consumers understand how software strengthens the economy, worker productivity and global development; and how its further expansion hinges on the successful fight against software piracy and Internet theft.
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)
