A call for action at the First Regional IPR and Cyber Crime Conference in Jordan

Adobe Systems Incorporated MENA (Nasdaq:ADBE) and the Business Software Alliance, the global trade association representing the software industry, in cooperation with the Jordanian National Library closed its final session of the First Regional IPR and Cyber Crime Conference in Amman, Jordan with a number of recommendations for governments and companies to help them reserve intellectual property rights and reduce software piracy.

"Two-thirds of Middle East businesses are at risk of using unlicensed or pirated software, 67% of businesses lack formal systems for software asset management, and 80% fail to identify the operational and viral threats to businesses using pirated software," says Abdallah Saqqa, General Manager, Middle East & North Africa, Adobe Systems. "We at Adobe aim to educate businesses on the risks, which extend beyond legal and financial penalties."

The event tackled a number of issues that the current world faces as a result of software piracy and breaching of intellectual property rights (IPR) to include; economical deficiencies as a result of piracy, violation of user privacy, cyber crime, and IPR infringement and its effect on the business environment.

"IPR is a strong driver for boosting economies, increasing investments and creating jobs," says Mohammad Hijazi, Intellectual Property Office Manager at the Egyptian Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA). "Awareness is key to overcoming cyber crime, not only with the general public and companies alike –but also by training law enforcers and judges to properly deal with cases of cyber crime."

The meetings resulted in a number of action recommendations for both governments and companies to include the following:

Creating public and corporate awareness of the effects of cyber crime on individuals and businesses through targeted workshopsEncouraging research and development to focus on cyber crimeGenerating more media interest in the issue to help raise public awarenessApproaching schools and universities to create early- age awareness of the dangers of cyber crimeEstablishing specialized cyber crime courts and passing new laws that help protect user and company rights

"This conference was a call on industry leaders and decision makers from the government and the private sector to directly address the risks of IPR violation and cyber crime," says Jawad Al Redha, Co- Chair of the Business Software Alliance (BSA). "The aim is to enhance and establish stronger relationships between Arab countries as well as create an open platform for exchanging information and experiences."

In most Middle Eastern countries, software piracy over the last few years has only varied by around 2-3 %, however the financial losses that this represents can be more than $100M in some countries.

"Adobe encourages all businesses to conduct a self-audit of their software license procurement and deployment practices to ensure compliance," added Saqqa. "We are working closely with customers and to educate them and to address the misconception of piracy." 

About BSA

The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) is the world’s foremost advocate for the software industry, working in 80 countries to expand software markets and create conditions for innovation and growth. Governments and industry partners look to BSA for thoughtful approaches to key policy and legal issues, recognizing that software plays a critical role in driving economic and social progress in all nations. BSA’s member companies invest billions of dollars a year in local economies, good jobs, and next-generation solutions that will help people around the world be more productive, connected, and secure. BSA members include: Adobe, Altium, Apple, Asseco Poland S.A., Attachmate, Autodesk, AVEVA, Bentley Systems, CNC, Corel, Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation, DBA Lab S.p.A., Mamut, Microsoft, NedGraphics, Progress Software, O&O Software, Scalable Software, Siemens, Symantec, Tekla and The MathWorks.