Microsoft Gulf, Kuwait Ministry of Information initiate raids against Hawalli vendors selling pirated software

Seized during the separate raids were desktop computers loaded with pirated software. The first raid was undertaken against a vendor in the Al Mulla Commercial Complex, while the second raid was orchestrated against an Al Bassam 2 Complex operator. Both violators were based in Ben Khaldoun Street. Just recently, a similar raid in Hawalli yielded 230 CDs containing illegally copied computer programs.

"Microsoft Gulf, the Ministry and local authorities will not stop until vendors offering unlicensed software realize that their efforts to evade the law will be unsuccessful. It is disheartening to see our efforts to establish Kuwait as a piracy-free environment compromised by these activities. Hawalli has once again been placed in the spotlight; we want this area to serve as an example of our resilience in combating this social and economic threat. We are thus warning persistent offenders that they can expect additional enforcement actions in the near future," said H.E. Rasha Al-Sabah, Intellectual Property Rights Manager, Kuwait.

Kuwait manages a nationwide anti-piracy awareness and enforcement campaign as part of broader efforts to promote the country as a regional and global IT center. The campaign, which was created in partnership with the Business Software Alliance (BSA), aims to escalate initiatives against vendors of pirated software, enhance regional and international investor confidence in the domestic IT sector, and increase public and private sector awareness on the legal, social and economic consequences of copyright infringements.

Jawad Al Redha, BSA Co-Chairman in the Gulf Region, said:

"Planning, patience and persistence are key factors in insuring that the recent anti-piracy offensives by the Ministry are successful."

"The BSA praises these actions and will continue to support them with appropriate educational and awareness campaigns," he added.