Autodesk partners with Intellectual Property Department to promote copyright protection in Kuwait

The collaboration between the two organizations will focus on the copyrights of the industry-leading software and solutions, and the copyrights of the user's designs and projects, amidst the widespread incidences of IPR violations both locally and in the region.

"Our aim is to protect copyrights and create awareness for both users and firms in Kuwait, and we recognize that along with awareness, we need effective enforcement of IPR laws and specifically copyright laws as an effective measure for us to achieve this goal. The IP Department is anticipating that implementation of these laws will bring about a change in the Kuwait construction market, and we are looking forward to working with Autodesk and BSA in our common aim of encouraging the use of original software and educating the market on the negative effects of using pirated software,"

said H.E. Sheikha Rasha Al-Sabah, Director, Intellectual Property Department, Kuwait.

Autodesk's basic strategy is to increase awareness on the benefits of using genuine software, while continuously supporting all engineering firms in Kuwait by providing the best engineering and infrastructural design applications in an attempt to raise their productivity levels. The company's partnership with the Kuwait Government and their mutual IPR goals is expected to reduce the piracy rate and help Kuwait receive the best anti-piracy rating in the Gulf region. Currently the Kuwait Ministry of Commerce and Industry is also joining efforts with Autodesk to enforce the usage of genuine software licenses, and highlight the consequences of choosing to use unlicensed software.

"We believe that working together with a government-sanctioned agency such as the IP Department in Kuwait will bring more significant results to our fight against copyright infringement and intellectual property rights violation," said Eng. Asdaf Al Khalidi, IPR & License Compliance Executive, Autodesk Middle East. "In our efforts to increase awareness on loses and risks that counterfeit software bring to both manufacturers and users, we have gained the support of the IP Department. Our plan is to prepare for a long term agreement and campaign with the IP Department, which is aimed at significantly curbing design applications piracy in the country."

The move follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by the Kuwait Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the IP Department with Business Software Alliance (BSA). As a founding member of BSA, Autodesk executives met with the IP Department, during which they discussed the rampant breach in their copyrights as the developer of AutoCAD, which is the world's leading customizable and extendable CAD application. The high impact meeting concluded with a show of high interest from the IP Department, which pledged its utmost support for Autodesk's anti-piracy campaign in Kuwait.

"We are currently working on amending the copyright law in the country and issuing greater sanctions against copyright infringers. We applaud the efforts of Autodesk and BSA and their active roles in the fight against piracy, and we assure them our support in protecting their intellectual property, which in turn will hopefully encourage the further development of the engineering sector in Kuwait," concluded H.E. Sheikha Rasha Al-Sabah.