Business Software Alliance (BSA) launches Public Awareness Campaign at GITEX Computer Shopper 2003

Computer Shopper, to be held at the Airport Expo Dubai, from October 18 to 24, 2003, is the region's largest consumer exhibition for IT products and services and the retail arm of the Gitex Dubai 2003 exhibition.

'The year 2002 has been a highly successful period for us, because we have been able to get Copyright Laws further enforced in a number of Gulf countries and consequently brought down software piracy to record low levels. The next important step is to take the campaign further through a mass awareness exercise targeted at resellers and end-users. Gitex is the foremost IT exhibition in the region, attracting leading international technology companies. We could not have asked for a better platform than the Computer Shopper for achieving our aims', said Jawad Al Redha, Co-Chairman, Middle East, Business Software Alliance.

BSA is launching a new marketing campaign and an interactive online quiz on its website, www.bsa.org, with questions relating to piracy and the use of illegal software. The BSA on-line quiz will be launched within the coming week and will run throughout GITEX. Participants who answer the questions correctly will have their name put in a draw to be made on the final day to win prizes sponsored by BSA's member organisations.

'We want to create awareness about the benefits of using original software, especially among students and end-users, who can learn about legal software by answering the quiz, as well as win attractive prizes', said Al Redha.

BSA will distribute free literature on software such as 'Guides to Software Management', 'Q & A', and 'Thanks For Staying Legal' booklets during the Gitex exhibition. The booklets will include important information on the UAE anti-piracy laws and highlight the efforts that the government is undertaking to protect Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). BSA staff will act a piracy watchdog to monitor any illegal trade of software during Gitex Shopper itself, to ensure that the exhibition will be piracy-free.

'Our stand at Computer Shopper 2003 will reinforce the message that the illegal use of original software can affect traders, end users and ultimately the entire economic health of the region. Software piracy makes it impossible for software developers to make any kind of revenue, discouraging them from introducing software innovations into the market, stifling economic growth and creativity', said Al Redha.

'Through our continued efforts, the UAE has witnessed a fifty-point drop in piracy, from 86% in 1994 to 36% in 2002. This has contributed in making the UAE an ideal investment destination for international companies. Gitex being the showcase for the booming IT industry in the Middle East, BSA is determined to register a strong presence by promoting legal software, and offer an ideal environment for the growth and development of the IT sector, by creating a piracy-free society', added Al Redha.