The Court of First Instance finds two men guilty of copyright infringement and sentences them to a month in jail each under the new copyright law.
Two men who have confessed to copying software illegally over the internet and loading it on computers have been sentenced to one month in prison each. Both were arrested during a police raid, where they were readying to sell three computers all loaded with unlicensed software.
The Court of First Instance has also confiscated the counterfeit software and transferred the file to the Prosecutor's office for appropriate action. The Arabian Anti Piracy Alliance hailed this judgment as a landmark in the fight against copyright violations in the United Arab Emirates.
The United Arab Emirates has one of the best track records in the Middle East in terms of copyright protection. The country’s intellectual property law was passed in 1992, and has been amended since, in order to keep with technological and economical developments.
The last amendment dated July 2002 was welcomed by international and local companies as yet another proof of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government’s commitment to protect investors and strengthen the framework for ongoing economical development. — (menareport.com)
© 2003 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
