The UAE currently has the lowest software piracy rate in the Gulf, and government-led efforts could reduce the rate by a further 10 per cent through 2012, said a report.

This reduction could boost the local IT sector’s revenue by Dh1.11 billion ($300 million) and generate almost a thousand additional IT-related jobs, said an independent study sponsored by the Business Software Alliance (BSA), a global trade group which works with governments to advance the goals of the software industry and their hardware partners.

“The Middle East and Africa’s software piracy rate burdens the region with substantial revenue losses each year as well as serious social and moral threats,” said Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Alshihhi, director general of the UAE Ministry of Economy.

Alshihhi was speaking at an event held in Dubai to mark the World Intellectual Property Day, which is being celebrated today (April 26).

“Through the help of the BSA we have been able to significantly reduce the UAE’s own piracy rate. We encourage businesses and the general public to support the BSA and make the protection of intellectual property rights a priority mission within the Emirates’ development agenda,” he added.

Jawad Al Redha, BSA co-chairman in the Gulf region, said: “World Intellectual Property Day is a perfect occasion to assess how much we have achieved and what else must be done to realize our ambition of significantly reducing piracy rates in the Emirates and the entire Gulf region. The Ministry of Economy will continue to be a vital partner in our fight against copyright crimes.”

The UAE has been able to sustain its leadership in region-wide efforts to combat software piracy with the sustained assistance of the BSA and the active participation of various local members, like Microsoft and Adobe, who constantly coordinate with the Ministry of Economy and other government and private organisations throughout the country, a statement said. – TradeArabia News Service