Ministry of Economy unveils high-profile anti-piracy awareness campaign

Ministry of Economy unveils high-profile anti-piracy awareness campaign

Director General Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Alshihhi affirms support for anti-piracy initiatives & development of research & innovation culture


March 31, 2009

The Ministry of Economy (MoE) has announced that it has launched an intensive anti-piracy campaign called “Using unlicensed software can shut down your business” to educate the public on the consequences of selling and using pirated software.

The campaign, which runs from March 22 to April 26, 2009, is part of a series of similar Gulf-wide dissemination efforts to combat software piracy and will tap the broad reach of print and broadcast media during its one-month duration. The Ministry is focusing on increasing public awareness on intellectual property rights laws and their enforcement, as well as the negative legal, investment, employment and moral effects of piracy.

Mohammed Ahmad Bin Abdulaziz Alshihhi, Director General, MoE, emphasized the UAE’s commitment to protecting intellectual property rights as reflected by initiatives against software piracy and other copyright violations. He explained that piracy rates in the UAE are considered one of the lowest in the Middle East, the result of strict laws and procedures enforced in this domain.

Alshihhi said: “The Ministry of Economy seeks to promote a culture of innovation, research and development in order to strengthen the implementation of intellectual property rules in the country. The Ministry will strive to free the local market from piracy, which would be in the best interest of the national economy and the UAE’s competitive business environment. Software piracy remains a serious problem because a majority of the general public and businesses remain insufficiently informed about the negative impact of piracy on the country. We shall use this campaign to develop a more unified approach to reducing piracy and further protecting the growing national IT sector.”

“Piracy compromises the United Arab Emirates’ emerging status as a regional and international IT hub. This latest government-backed initiative is thus a welcome addition to ongoing anti-piracy efforts throughout the United Arab Emirates; we commend the Ministry for taking a strong stand against copyright violations and showing concern for maintaining competitiveness among local businesses,” concluded Jawad Al Redha, Co-Chairman for the Gulf Region, Business Software Alliance.