Arabic software industry affected by high incidence of piracy

The protection of intellectual property rights is expected to create an atmosphere of trust and a healthy investment climate for the software companies operating in the Arabian markets, thereby enhancing the economies in the region, achieving healthy economic growth and opening the door for Arab consumers to benefit from the quality and performance of original software programmes.

In a market protected from piracy, the IT sector, which is witnessing an upsurge because of the innovative policy initiatives of the regional governments in the sectors of eGovernance, eLearning and eCommerce, would also see greater employment opportunities for IT professionals in the field of software development.

Sakhr Software has also endorsed the pivotal role played by Business Software Alliance (BSA) in protecting the intellectual property rights of software companies in the Arab world. BSA is at the forefront of the drive to create a legal and safe environment in which to combat the usage of pirated software. Protection from software piracy is expected to pave the way to creativity and create greater commercial opportunities for companies investing in the research and development of original software.

Fahed El Sharekh, Business Development Director of the Al Alamiah Group, the parent company of Sakhr Software, said, "Software piracy is a dangerous phenomenon that negatively affects the development of the IT sector in the region. Most global software leaders have been hesitant to enter the local IT markets due to the high incidence of copyright violations of original software in these markets. These companies had preferred to wait till such a time where the local authorities could guarantee protection against piracy for their software solutions. In its mission to combat software piracy, BSA has played an active role in raising the awareness levels about the legal and commercial aspects of the protection of intellectual property rights in the region."

"In keeping with our position as the market leader in developing and providing innovative Arabic software solutions, we appreciate BSA's efforts in combating software piracy. We can comprehend the severity of likely damage that an IT company will suffer because of software piracy. Like all IT companies that work in the field of software development, we dedicate large financial resources to the research and development of new software programmes. This investment would not be feasible if the resulting software solutions are pirated. Protecting intellectual property rights in the Arab world will ultimately contribute to diminishing the digital gap between us and the western world," added Al Sharekh.

Jawad Al Redha, Co-Chairman, Middle East, Business Software Alliance said, "Sakhr Software is a typical example of the IT expertise that exists in this region and that is capable of creating innovative software solutions if provided with safe circumstances for the development and marketing of their solutions. Occupying the lead position amongst the Arabic software solution providers in the region, Sakhr Software has excelled in providing innovative Arabic software solutions in all the countries across the region. The company's views on software piracy and their concerns about the abuse of intellectual property rights reflect the wide-ranging concerns of software developers across the globe. In BSA we are committed to providing the necessary procedures to implement the intellectual property rights legislation that will guarantee the rights of all concerned parties involved in IT programming. It is of note that software developers in the Arab world have enhanced their research and development operations after receiving guarantees from the local authorities that their intellectual property rights will be protected against the risk of piracy."

"In addition to providing consumers with high performance software solutions, the legal use of software will enhance the national economies of the countries in the region through the creation of new opportunities for the establishment of companies specialising in providing software solutions," added Al Redha. "Government institutions will also benefit from the legal use of software, through the issuing of legal licenses to local IT companies and through the verification of necessary qualifications before the registration of a company."

"Many governments in the region have realised the direct relation between enhancing the national economies and protecting intellectual property rights through the legal use of software. We are aware of the responsibility placed with us and we believe that this is a long-term drive for routing out the menace of software piracy. This requires continuous tracking and tireless co-ordination, locally and internationally. We appreciate the commitment of the Arab software companies, lead by Sakhr Software, in support of our campaign against software piracy and for the protection of intellectual property rights," said Al Redha.