Microsoft and the UAE Ministry of Economy (MoE) conducted anti-piracy raids on two computer resellers in Dubai who were found downloading business software without authorisation.

Microsoft, a member of the Business Software Alliance (BSA), the leading global organisation that is the voice of the world's commercial software industry and its hardware partners, coordinated with concerned authorities for the latest raids, which resulted in the confiscation of 70 counterfeit CDs and two desktop computers loaded with unlicensed versions of Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Office 2007 software.

'Eliminating software piracy from the country is high on the agenda for the Ministry of Economy given the major negative impact piracy can have on the country’s growing economy,' said Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Alshihhi, MoE undersecretary.

'We will continue to work closely with the BSA and its members to curb software piracy across the UAE, and we are confident that our concerted efforts will bring in expected results.'

'The BSA will continue with its wide-ranging anti-piracy campaigns in the UAE which will serve as a strong warning to intellectual property rights offenders, while also highlighting the detrimental affects of using pirated software to the end users,” added Jawad Al Redha, BSA co-chairman in the Gulf.-TradeArabia News Service