Business Software Alliance (BSA) renews campaign against illegal software usage in small and medium companies

The action plan will be reinforced by a public awareness campaign to be launched during Gitex 2003. This was announced during its annual meetings which concluded today, (Sunday, October 19, 2003) in the presence of Juma Al Leem, Director of MOI for Northern Emirates and Mohamed Mutawa, Head of Enforcement Team.

The meeting was attended by BSA member organisations from across the Middle East, to discuss the highlights and achievements of BSA's anti-piracy campaign. The members also discussed future strategies and campaigns for the coming year, that will focus on ensuring that companies comply with licensing policies.

"Last year, we achieved a series of successes in our campaign to drive out piracy, primarily the drop in piracy levels to 50% in the Middle East and 36% in the UAE. The 2002 annual meetings called for stronger government support and we believe that this support has contributed significantly to achieving this record. Today, the UAE has one of the most well-structured intellectual property rights (IPR) legislations in the world and has made a mark from being one of the most active nations in the fight against piracy", said Jawad Al Redha, Co-Chairman, Middle East, Business Software Alliance.

The annual meeting also discussed the efforts of government organisations like the Ministry of Information and Culture, Dubai Police, Abu Dhabi Police, as well as police departments in the other Emirates, for taking stringent measures in protecting IPR in the UAE. The joint effort of these departments has contributed to creating a clean climate conducive to external investment. This in turn has led to more job opportunities in the region, giving a boost to the economy.

Discussing the active participation of the Middle East government, Al Redha remarked, "Besides the UAE, authorities in Oman, Qatar and Bahrain were also hailed for the intensive measures undertaken to combat piracy in their respective IT markets, through a series of raids on software traders".

"However, despite our recent success and continuous efforts, the fight is far from over. Many countries in the region still suffer from more than 70% piracy. While we have received positive response and public endorsements of support from leading software firms in the region including Sakhr Software, companies in the small and medium enterprise sector (SMEs) are still using pirated software or have licensed only part of their applications. Our target for the coming year will be to raise awareness among the SME sector about the harmful effects of using pirated software", added Al Redha.

The annual meeting also announced the launch of a new public awareness and marketing campaign that will target end-users to create awareness on the ethical aspects and harmful effects of using pirated software.