A stepped up drive by authorities against software piracy has resulted in a crackdown on a store in Qatar selling fake copies of Microsoft software, Microsoft Gulf announced yesterday.
Microsoft Gulf has formally filed a criminal complaint against the fake software operator after the Ministry of Justice confiscated the pirated copies during a recent raid. A criminal investigation is pending. Abdulla Qayed, Director of Intellectual Property Centre, Ministry of justice said: Companies which sell legitimate software have difficulty competing with low prices being offered by software counterfeiters that they continue educating the public through awareness campaigns about Intellectual Property Rights laws and the negative impact of using pirated software.
“Software piracy is a worldwide problem that affects millions of consumers, businesses and economic growth,” Qayed said. Jawad Al Redha, IPR Manager of Microsoft Gulf, said the Middle East has a fast growing IT sector but the impact of this growth is undermined by software piracy
“Technology connects communities, drives economic development by fostering local economies and facilitates healthy sustainable growth,” Al Redha said. Microsoft continues to educate customers and partners about the negative effects of software piracy on the local economy and to increase awareness on the risks of counterfeit products, such as exposure to security issues like viruses, data loss, identify or credit card theft. By partnering with local government bodies, Microsoft has also stepped up efforts to take legal steps against counterfeiters.
http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=March2010&file=Local_News2010032921745.xml
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