The UAE authorities once again reaffirmed their commitment to combating the illegal use of pirated software, by raiding a computer store in Dubai recently. The raid, conducted by Dubai Police in coordination with the Arabian Antipiracy Alliance (AAA), led to the seizure of two PCs and ten CDs containing illegally copied softwares and the detention of an employee of the store.
The move is in line with the UAE's persistent campaign against software piracy through stringent laws and punishment for violators of intellectual property rights to protect the national economy in general and the IT industry in particular.
"The recent raid sends a strong message to companies and individuals selling or using pirated software, that the UAE will act tough with violators of antipiracy laws," said Scott Butler, Chief Executive Officer of AAA. "The UAE has rightly emerged as a regional model for effectively reducing software piracy through stringent legislation."
"Apart from affecting end-users, software piracy has a negative impact on local and international business software solution companies, stunts the economic growth of a country," added Butler. "The technology and IT industries are suffering losses running into millions of dollars, forcing specialised software manufacturers to reduce investments in Research & Development, severely impacting the growth of the sector."
Butler said software piracy leads to imbalance and instability in the economic cycle of nations. This practice also affects end-users because pirated software products produce poor performance and affects data integrity. "Anti piracy campaigns help created an environment conducive to IT investments and balanced economic growth. They also serve to energise the IT industry locally and globally and support Arab economies by attracting new investment in the local IT markets," concluded Butler.
