BSA helps bolster Qatar's anti software piracy 2008 strategy

'Qatar has performed considerably well in curtailing the spread of piracy across the country and our efforts have been instrumental in helping maintain the robust growth of the country's software industry. We are pleased to welcome our colleagues from Business Software Alliance in this forum, which I believe will be extremely beneficial as we finalize our plan of action for 2008,' said Abdulla Ahmed Qayed, Head of Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Office-Commercial Affairs Department, Ministry of Economy and Commerce in Qatar.

Also on the event's agenda was a detailed analysis of the developments concerning Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and an overview of how Qatar has aligned its domestic strategy according to international policies. Qatar has been one of the top performing countries in the region against piracy as it posted a 2 per cent drop in its piracy rate in 2006.

'Qatar has been a very active partner in the fight against piracy. I commend the country's authorities for its spirited efforts in bringing down the rate of software piracy through several highly targeted initiatives such as public awareness campaigns, regular raids against counterfeit traders and suitable government policies. The increase in losses to piracy has been largely due to the unprecedented growth of the country's IT market as PC and internet penetration rates have sharply increased. This means that we have to intensify our efforts to keep pace with the expanding market,' said Jawad Al Redha, IPR Manager, Microsoft Gulf.

Qatar has one of the fastest-growing economies in the Middle East, and a major contributor to its vibrant economy is its strong IT infrastructure. According to a Madar Research report, Qatar's IT infrastructure has been recognised as the best in the Middle East based on the World Bank's Knowledge Economy Index.

'The year 2007 has been very productive for our partnership with the Qatari Government. BSA is committed to further strengthen its ties with the government and other authorities to bring down piracy rates in Qatar and spread awareness of the several benefits of using genuine software, as well as the risks involved in the use and trade of counterfeit products,' concluded Al Redha.