As part of its ongoing efforts to curb the spread of pirated software, Microsoft Gulf had filed criminal complaints which led to five anti-piracy raids on resellers in the UAE during the last month.

Raids were conducted in Dubai and Sharjah; resulting in the confiscation of pirated software CDs and personal computers (PCs) and laptops loaded with pirated copies of Microsoft software.

As an active member of the Business Software Alliance (BSA), the international association established by the global software industry to promote a safe and legal digital world, Microsoft continues to educate customers and partners about the negative effects of software piracy on the local economy and to increase awareness about the risks of counterfeit to consumers using counterfeit or hacked software, such as exposure to security issues like viruses, identify or credit card theft.

“The Ministry of Economy is committed to working with local and international organizations to combat software piracy. In addition to Microsoft, we work with bodies such as the global intellectual property center; the association of software publishers and the Arab publishers association to fight piracy,” stated Mohammed Ahmed Bin Abdulaziz Al Shihhi, director general of the UAE Ministry of Economy.

“Through the Genuine Software Initiative (GSI), Microsoft is committed to advancing education amongst our customers while simultaneously investing heavily in engineering world-class anti-counterfeiting technologies and supporting government and law enforcement agencies who are taking action against counterfeiters,” added Jawad Al Redha, IPR manager, Microsoft Gulf.-TradeArabia News Service