Seven people were arrested during fresh raids by the UAE law enforcement authorities on several IT resellers in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The raids were initiated by Microsoft as a Business Software Alliance (BSA) member.

The raids conducted on three IT resellers in Dubai’s Bur Dubai area led to the arrest of three persons and confiscation of four PCs with illegally downloaded software and 118 CDs of pirated versions of software including Windows XP Service Packs.

The Abu Dhabi raids resulted in four arrests and seizure of three PCs and 84 CDs loaded with pirated software applications.

Juma Al Leem, director of the Censorship Department, Dubai Government, said: “The UAE continues to show an exemplary approach towards tackling the menace with the assistance of the Ministry of Economy and other authorities concerned and these efforts have shown positive results, with the country recording a steady drop in piracy rates.”

“Unless stringent measures are adopted on an ongoing basis piracy cannot be curbed in an effective way and the authorities in the UAE have ensured that they are constantly keeping a check on offenders,” he said.

“We are working closely with BSA to raise awareness on the importance of using original software, as this will help in enhancing the reliability of IT infrastructure in the UAE.”

BSA Middle East co-chairman Jawad Al Redha said: “The UAE fully recognises that the healthy growth of the country’s IT sector is dependent to a large extent on the rate of piracy in the country, and these anti-piracy raids complement the country’s long term vision of economic growth.” - TradeArabia News Service