Although legal software has gained tremendous ground in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in past years, with the rate of piracy falling from 86 percent in 1995 to 44 percent in 2000, corporate piracy remains a concern for industry players, warned the Business Software Alliance (BSA).
As part of its fight against illegal software in the UAE, BSA has announced results of its 45-day Great Opportunity campaign, which ended January 5, 2002. The campaign represented a concerted effort on behalf of the BSA to reduce the use of illegal software by companies, whilst giving them the opportunity to legalize their applications without facing fines, ruined reputations or disrupted operations.
During the campaign, more than 3,388 companies across the UAE were contacted by BSA, some 2,440 companies responded in writing, and more than 786 phone calls were received on the hotline. As a result, 223 software auditing visits were conducted, where 990 companies took steps to legalize their software and more than 56,521 PCs were enlisted to be audited.
BSA’s regional director Jawad Al-Redha said “Some companies did not take advantage of the campaign and are still using illegal software, this means that they are still at risk of being raided and fined”.
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. 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)
