Microsoft Gulf today announced that local authorities conducted two raids in Dubai and another in Abu Dhabi. Personal computers loaded with pirated copies of Microsoft software were confiscated and criminal investigations are on-going.
H.E. Mohammed Ahmed Bin Abdulaziz Al Shihhi, Director General of the UAE Ministry of Economy, said: "Software piracy is a serious and extremely damaging issue that affects the prospects of the software industry, the local economies, and software users. We are committed to working with organizations such as Microsoft to combat software piracy in the UAE. It is our mandate to protect intellectual property rights, and thus strengthen market confidence. We will continue to take appropriate action to curb software piracy."
Jawad Al Redha, IPR Manager, Microsoft Gulf, said: “We commend the Ministry’s efforts to curb the sale of pirated software in the country. Microsoft is determined to protect its customer, reseller and partner ecosystem from the threat and losses associated with piracy through a combined strategy of education, enforcement and engineering, acting with government and law enforcement to address this serious issue.”
Microsoft’s Genuine Software Initiative (GSI) focuses the company’s many activities and investments directed at combating software counterfeiting and other forms of software piracy into a single coordinated effort. In its regional efforts, Microsoft works closely with governments, industry partners and educational organisations, to build awareness of the value of intellectual property as a driver of economic growth and encourage respect for intellectual property rights.