BSA marks Intellectual Property Rights Day

Business Software Alliance (BSA), the international association established by the software industry to promote a safe and legal digital world, has united with international organisations to celebrate the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Day, an initiative designed to educate the public about how the protection of IPR nurtures creativity,  prosperity and a knowledge-based economy.

The Alliance has praised the UAE’s Ministry of Economy (MoE) for its support in upholding IPR and anti-piracy legislation and its efforts are predicted to increase private sector investment, technology transfer and economic growth for the region.

The IPR Day is being celebrated worldwide in recognition of the continuing efforts by organisations and governments to facilitate and encourage the pursuit of innovation and the disclosure of knowledge into the public domain for the common good.  Broadly defined, IPR refers to the various entitlements legally owed to certain names, media and inventions that are entitled to exercise exclusive rights in relation to their product.

Statistics from Madar research indicates that the UAE’s ICT industry is booming, with an increase in both computer and internet users driving the industry to be worth more than $915 million by the end of 2008.  A recent BSA piracy report also highlighted that the MENA region was one of only two worldwide regions that were witnessing a decrease in the software piracy rate, based on government and industry action and the popularity of branded laptops.

BSA, operating in association with Microsoft as a BSA member and relevant government authorities, regularly launches awareness campaigns and anti-piracy raids throughout the region to endorse IPR and anti piracy initiatives. Advantages of using original software are promoted in the campaigns, in terms of technical support, regular updates, computer performance, greater data security and economic benefits.