Ministry of Information in Kuwait intensifies its national campaign to combat software piracy by raiding four companies dealing in pirated software

The Ministry of Information in Kuwait has recently conducted a raid campaign against four companies using illegal software, which resulted in the seizing of 53 PCs that had downloaded illegal programs like Windows XP, Office 97 and 2000, Norton Antivirus 2001, Windows 98, Oracle, AutoCAD and Photoshop PRO.

The campaign comes in view of the commitment of the Ministry to encourage the use of legal software and to protect Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in Kuwait. These raids are part of the efforts exerted by the Kuwaiti authorities in cooperation with IT companies that produce original software and Business Software Alliance (BSA) aimed at providing an added impetus to the software industry in Kuwait. This move will also play a vital role in creating a healthy climate for foreign investment in the Kuwait IT market and to achieve higher growth rates.

"The Ministry of Information is committed to supporting IPR and is using stringent measures to implement various IPR laws. This campaign arises from the awareness of the negative consequences of software piracy, which is responsible for creating an unstable situation in the economic cycle and other sectors in the country," said Mohammed Al-Dallal, Al-Khebra Legal Consultants and Lawyers. "These raids are evidence that Kuwait will not allow the occurrence of IPR violations. It serves as a warning to all parties that do not respect IPR laws that the Kuwaiti government considers piracy of software or any type of violation a crime that is punishable by law."

The Ministry of Information in Kuwait is intensifying its public awareness campaign in all the sectors to emphasize the importance of IPR and intellectual production in Kuwait. It is working on highlighting the legislation that prohibits companies from using any illegal software program in the applications that are adopted by the user.

"We appreciate the efforts being exerted by the Ministry in Kuwait to protect IPR laws. These efforts are a reflection of the determination of the authorities in tracking violators of the IPR laws. We must consider these campaigns as a warning to parties who use illegal programs in order for them to legally commence reformation," added Al-Dallal.

Kuwait is one of the few countries in the Middle East to witness a significant drop in the use of illegal software. A study conducted by a leading international market research company indicates that the IT sector in Kuwait is expected to grow from US $400 million to US $712 million by the year 2006, if the concerted campaign against piracy continues to bring down the software piracy rates from the existing 76 per cent to 66 per cent in the near future.

"This study contributes towards enhancing the awareness of using original software programs, in keeping with the IPR law of Kuwait that also penalizes end-users," added Al-Dallal.

The responsibility of combating the usage of illegal software is a joint one, say IT experts, which involve parties trading in such programs, as well as consumers and distributors. Cooperation is imperative to effectively face these dangerous actions.

"The combating of piracy will achieve successful results for all parties involved in the campaign. We thank the Kuwaiti authorities for their continued campaign to combat violation of IPR and usage of illegal computer programs," Al-Dallal added.

Consumers from companies and individuals who are victims of the piracy problem must not hesitate to report crimes to authorities, in a bid to protect their rights and to avoid low performance in their PCs.