Journalists from UAE, Jordan and Qatar win Business Software Alliance Pan Arab Press Awards

The competition awarded three prizes to the best articles and features on piracy to journalists from the UAE, Jordan and Qatar. A distinguished gathering of invited guests and representatives from the software industry applauded the winners for their thought-provoking writing on various aspects of piracy and its negative impacts in the Pan Arab region.

Jawad Al-Redha, Co-Chairman, Middle East, Business Software Alliance, presented awards to the three winners who were selected from the numerous entries that were received for the competition. The first prize was awarded to Mohamed Ali Moussa of Al Khaleej Printing & Publishing - U.A.E, for his article that highlighted the effects of piracy on consumers and software producers. The article detailed the negative consequences of piracy on the economy. The second prizewinner, Rania Awad Ibrahim Al Hindi of Al Rai Newspaper - Jordan, won the award for her article, which focused on how piracy was impeding the flow of investment to Jordan and the effects of piracy on e-Commerce.

Her article also highlighted research findings that stated that 53% of global IT experts are of the opinion that the Arab World is progressing extremely well in its fight against piracy. The third prize was awarded to Mohammed Kheir Al Farah, Al Sharq Newspaper - Qatar, for his article brought to the forefront the correlation between piracy and organised crime according to the international law. It also detailed the US$120 million loss incurred by Arab countries due to software piracy.

Al-Redha also distributed certificates of appreciation to the participants of the competition. The Certificates of Appreciation were presented to Manoj Nair, Gulf News; Budoor Al Budoor, Gulf News; Abdul Fatah Fayed, Al Bayan Press; Ali Asaad, Al Khaleej Printing and Publishing; Ramia Farrage, CNBC Arabia and Jenny Malapitan, PC Magazine.

"Information Technology has come to play an increasingly important role in our lives, both at work and at home, yet the knowledge of IPR, which provides the basic ground rules for accessing and using this technology, is not widespread among consumers or businesses dealing with software. With the simplification of the information technology infrastructure, the opportunity to violate copyrights has increased enormously. On the other hand, the significance of information technology in the progress of national economies also continues to grow," said Al-Redha.

"In this existing scenario, organizations such as BSA count on the media to help increase awareness in all sectors of society on the importance of intellectual property protection, which will lead to the creation of new, value-added industries, that will secure employment and promote domestic and foreign investment. This in turn will encourage regional software development and strengthen local resources. We regard journalists as our partners in this relentless campaign against piracy and the award ceremony today is a gesture of appreciation for their creativity and interest in covering piracy and copyright-related issues," he said.

"As we are all aware, according to the findings of the eighth annual BSA Global Software Piracy Study released recently, the Middle East, improved from a piracy rate of 84% in 1994 to 50% in 2002, a drop of thirty-four points. The Middle East and Africa region has nine countries on the list of the 'Top 25' most improved countries with regards to software piracy. The UAE is one of the best examples of how effective implementation of IPR has resulted in economic progress. The region's achievements in curbing piracy and protecting intellectual property rights is a result of the combined efforts and determination of government authorities, the software industry and the media who has lent its unstinted support by highlighting these issues," Al Redha added.

"Awareness on piracy and intellectual property rights will result in a knowledge-based society where enterprises become more creative and innovative, with the understanding that the strong protection of IPR will bring financial benefit. The value of legitimate intellectual property rights should be underlined, whereas the known ties between piracy, counterfeiting and organized crime should be exposed through channels such as the mass media. BSA is confident that the media in the Pan-Arab region will continue to play an effective role in highlighting and explaining the dangers and economic disadvantages of piracy and intellectual property violation," concluded Redha.

BSA, which was established in 1988, is an international non-profit organization which aims to boost the use of legal software. The organization conducts its activities in 65 countries to increase awareness on combating software piracy by providing information centers to answer queries in this regard. BSA works in close coordination with government departments and public institutions to affect the implementation of IPR laws.