Kuwaiti authorities have said they are stepping up their anti-piracy campaign and reinforcing their cooperation with Business Software Alliance (BSA) to ensure the protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in the country through widespread education and enforcement efforts.
Kuwaiti will step up the campaign through a series of seminars, trainings and conferences targeted at specific sectors including IT resellers, public and private sector organizations, the student community and the public at large. The campaigns will highlight the adverse effects of software piracy on the national economy – in terms of reduced IT investments and employment opportunities – and also stress on the disadvantages of using pirated software, such as poor PC performance, non-availability of vital technical support and rampant virus attacks.
“Our success in curbing the threat of piracy could determine to a large extent the pace of future growth of Kuwait’s IT industry,” said Qannas Al Adwani, Director of Publications, Ministry of Information, Kuwait. “Market studies have shown that Kuwait can gain significant economic benefits by ensuring a consistent fall in piracy rates, and we are positive that our renewed focus on IPR protection will go a long way in putting the country on the fast track to sustained economic growth. Through increased cooperation with BSA, we aim to give further impetus to our awareness efforts while ensuring strict implementation of IPR laws.”
A recent study by the International Data Corporation (IDC) estimates that decreasing Kuwait’s piracy rate by 10 percentage points could deliver one of the largest relative benefits in the region, adding nearly US$ 350 mln to Kuwait’s economy, increasing local industry revenues by US$ 219 mln, and pumping an additional US$ 1 mln into the country’s tax base.
The IDC study reveals that demand for software in Kuwait grew a remarkable 85% between 2000 and 2004, adding US$ 450 mln in new IT revenues to the economy and creating nearly 1,000 new IT jobs during the period.
By further reducing its software piracy rate, says the study, Kuwait could double the size of its IT sector and generate 2,600 more IT jobs.
Jawad Al Redha, Chairman, BSA Middle East, said, “It is encouraging to note that Kuwaiti authorities are looking to consolidate their recent gains by actively pressing ahead with the anti-piracy campaign, rather than being content with their successes. Such proactive efforts at the government level will help create a healthy investment climate and inspire confidence in global investors. BSA is committed to extend full cooperation and assistance to Kuwait in its continued battle against piracy.”
The annual global piracy study, conducted by IDC and released by BSA, showed Kuwait to have successfully reduced piracy rate from 68% in 2004 to 66% in 2005. The piracy rate in the Middle East declined one percentage point to 57%, even as the global piracy rate remained unchanged at 35%.
