Business Software Alliance holds meeting with UAE’s Judicial Studies and Training Institutions

Business Software Alliance (BSA), the leading global organisation that is the voice of the software industry, recently concluded its latest Judicial Round Table with judges, prosecutors, intellectual property rights specialists from the UAE Ministry of Justice and the local & Federal courts to foster a cooperative governmental approach against software piracy.

The Ministry of Justice has been intensifying efforts to train judicial personnel on IPR. Its Institute of Judicial Training and Studies recently completed a training program in cooperation with BSA Gulf aimed at raising awareness on IPR protection and related enforcement mechanisms. During the Round Table, the Ministry joined other judicial bodies and authorities in discussing key issues and planning more effective strategies for further enhancing the UAE’s capabilities as a regional anti-piracy champion. The BSA conducts the Judicial Round Table annually to strengthen its collaboration with government entities across the Gulf.

“We need clearer insights from the industry itself to develop more effective measures against software piracy. The Judicial Round Table lays out the piracy issue from both legal and business perspectives, thus giving us a broader view of how we should conduct related training for legal organizations and practitioners of law. Moreover, the global expertise of the Business Software Alliance enables us to integrate the best international practices into our local anti-piracy approaches and legal frameworks,” added Mohamed Mahmoud Al Kamali, General Manager, UAE Institute of Training and Judicial Studies.

Jawad Al Redha, Chair, BSA Gulf, said: “We need to have the continued support of the judiciary if we want to win the fight against software piracy. The Judicial Round Table ensures alignment between our objectives and the goals of the Ministry of Justice. This was another productive session which enabled us to identify and offer solutions to some obstacles to IPR protection, emphasize the role of training in enhancing anti-piracy capabilities, and affirm the cooperative nature of our relations with the UAE’s judicial community and the law enforcement authorities in particular.”