Anti-piracy raids in UAE lead to more arrests, confiscations

The UAE’s tough stand on violators of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) laws were evident once again with law enforcement authorities in the UAE conducting fresh raids on several IT resellers in the two emirates. The raids were initiated by Microsoft, as a Business Software Alliance (BSA) member.

The raids conducted on three IT resellers in Dubai’s Bur Dubai area led to the arrest of three persons, confiscation of four PCs with illegally downloaded software and 118 CDs of pirated versions of software including Windows XP Service Packs. The Abu Dhabi raids resulted in four arrests, seizure of three PCs and 84 CDs loaded with pirated software applications.

Juma Al Leem, Director of Censorship Department, Dubai Government, said, “we are working closely with BSA to raise awareness on the importance of using original software, as this will help in enhancing the reliability of IT infrastructure in the UAE. Further, the users of original software will get many benefits, including reliable IT support, continuous updates on the software and discounts on new versions of the software.”

The UAE is the leading country in the region with regard to implementation of IPR and copyright legislations, 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.