Anti-piracy raid on IT reseller in Dubai leads to arrests, confiscations

Microsoft Gulf has announced that it has recently conducted an anti-piracy raid on an IT reseller in Dubai. The raid followed complaints about the IT reseller by Microsoft Gulf for loading unlicensed versions of Microsoft Office 2007 and Windows XP on computers sold to customers.

“This was an extremely crucial raid, as the IT reseller in question is a significant player in the local market,” said Jawad Al Redha, IPR Manager, Microsoft Gulf.

“The raid and its consequences on the offender will ensure that other IT resellers in Dubai who are aware of this will not indulge in such practices. There will be absolutely no leniency shown on resellers dealing with pirated software in the UAE, and we are grateful to the local law enforcement authorities for extending their complete support in our efforts to deal with this menace.”

The UAE is the leading country in the region with regard to implementation of IPR and copyright legislation, with laws requiring software users to keep evidence of the originality of the software used by them. This has not only benefited the entire business sector of the country, with top companies choosing UAE as a base for their regional headquarters, it has also contributed in boosting the growth of the nation’s economy in general and the IT sector in particular.