Microsoft supports anti-piracy efforts in Jordan

Mr. Mohammed Younis Abbadi, Acting Director General of Department of the National Library, stated, "The use of stolen IT in the manufacturing sector by purchasing or selling illegal software is an immoral act that hurts consumers, creators and the country's economy and community. It is important to stress that unlicensed and pirated software are illegal in the Kingdom, and we will persist in carrying out raids against commercial establishments that break intellectual property laws."

Pirated software contributes to endangering local innovators and entrepreneurs in all areas including video, film making, audio, music producers and much more. The Business Software Alliance (BSA), the voice of the world's software industry, estimates the PC software piracy rate in Jordan has been at 57% for the last 2 years and as a member of the BSA, Microsoft supports anti-piracy efforts by local law enforcement agencies to reduce software piracy and economically benefit the Kingdom.

Sana Jaser, Anti Piracy and Intellectual Proper Lead at Microsoft Jordan, stated, "Software piracy is a serious and widespread problem. The use of unlicensed software is risky and illegal and can result in civil and criminal penalties; it exposes consumers and businesses to security threats including malware and viruses; and it leads to decreased efficiencies in organizations. Piracy also harms local economies - it hampers technology companies' ability to innovate and create jobs, and in doing so diminishes government revenues."

She added, "The impact of software piracy on Jordan's economy is significant and harms the local ecosystem that depends upon legitimate software sales in their businesses, therefore in cooperation with the Department of the National Library, Microsoft is committed to supporting the local authorities who are upholding intellectual property laws, helping the commercial software market to flourish and ensuring manufacturers and other businesses are aware of their responsibilities to use genuine software."

Jordan is experiencing a rising number of what turn out to be accidental pirates - people who lack a clear understanding of the common ways to acquire legal software, which then result in unintentionally purchasing counterfeit software from resellers they believe to be reliable. With that in mind, Microsoft invests heavily in technologies, education and enforcement programs to make software piracy more difficult and is committed to protecting consumers and businesses against the risks associated with using counterfeit software.