UAE has zero tolerance for software piracy

The UAE Ministry of Economy (MoE) on Monday launched an intensified software anti-piracy campaign targeting the UAE's business sector. The campaign also aims to promote greater awareness about the country's intellectual property rights (IPR) laws and to educate the public about the legal implications of using and selling pirated software.

The campaign will run during March and April, wherein the MoE, Adobe and the Business Software Alliance (BSA) will pool together their resources to conduct high-impact advertising campaigns in major print and broadcast media to communicate a clear message to businesses across all industries about the UAE's zero-tolerance policy on software piracy.

The campaign will also help maintain the success of the UAE in controlling the spread of software piracy, and aims to highlight the negative impact of piracy to all members of society, particularly in terms of lost jobs, declining tax revenues and a less competitive economy. The awareness campaign also seeks to enlighten the public on the possible consequences faced by the management of offending businesses.

Abdullah Al Hussain, Director of the Censorship Department, UAE Ministry of Economy, said: "We want to send out a clear and urgent message about the negative impact of piracy on the social and economic development of our country, by highlighting the effects of piracy on the business landscape, on job security and also the moral implications of this criminal activity. The UAE has been highly successful in its efforts to protect intellectual property rights, maintaining the lowest software piracy rate among Arab countries at 36 per cent, according to a report by the International Data Corporation.

The proactive support of the BSA and private-sector institutions such as Adobe, are certainly crucial in maintaining the UAE's reputation as a staunch advocate of anti-piracy." Naser Samaenah, Regional License Compliance Manager ME and North Africa, Adobe Systems Mena, said: "Piracy has serious implications for the UAE as it inhibits business growth and diminishes the competitiveness of the national economy. Businesses such as Adobe consider the UAE a key growth destination mainly because of the low level of piracy in the country. It is therefore in the best interest of the UAE to remain vigilant in the fight against piracy to maintain the high level of confidence of business enterprises and investors in the country."

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