Dubai Police raid computer store, seize PCs uploaded with pirated software

The latest raid, part of a sustained anti-piracy campaign, was conducted in coordination with Business Software Alliance (BSA), which monitored the activities of the offending store and tipped the police.

Hailing the prompt action by the Dubai Police, Scott Butler, CEO of Arabian Anti-piracy Alliance (AAA) said: "The latest raid by the Dubai Police and the arrest of one of the culprits once again demonstrates the UAE's strong commitment to root out software piracy. The relentless campaign against software pirates has made the UAE the most successful country in the Middle East in bringing down piracy levels. We look forward to working closely with the UAE authorities in tackling this serious issue that has strong negative fallout on the national economy."

"The successful collaboration between the UAE authorities, BSA and international IT companies has triggered carefully orchestrated raids that have put severe pressure on software pirates and at the same time enlightened the resellers and end-users on the dangers in trading in or using pirated software," Butler added. "But there is much more work to be done, because piracy continues in different parts of the Middle East."

"The Dubai authorities' unwavering support to the anti-piracy campaign will consolidate Dubai's status as the regional IT hub, that not only believes in protecting intellectual property rights, but also in offering a level playing field for all software companies. This approach is guaranteed to bring increased investments from global IT companies into Dubai," Butler added.

UAE has implemented tough measures to protect intellectual property rights by introducing legislation that prescribes stiff penalties for violators, and supporting its resolve by conducting persistent raids on violating companies as well as end-users. A study conducted by BSA has shown that the UAE has successfully brought down the piracy penetration from 86 per cent in 1994 to 36 per cent in 2002.