Business Software Alliance (BSA) has recommended stiffer penalties for violators of intellectual property rights (IPR) and intensified enforcement campaign to tackle software piracy in the UAE.

BSA is a leading global organisation that is the voice of the global commercial software industry and its hardware partners before governments and in the international marketplace.

The BSA in partnership with the Institute of Training and Judicial Studies, UAE, recently held a roundtable meeting as part of joint efforts to support the ministries and authorities in their efforts related to combating all forms of piracy.

The roundtable was part of the BSA's regional initiatives to strengthen collaboration between BSA and relevant ministries and authorities across the GCC in the battle against software piracy.

Representatives from the BSA and the Institute of Training and Judicial Studies, with several government representatives and members of judicial authority, discussed the applicable laws and issues as well as methods aimed at further improving UAE’s major anti-piracy initiatives, which have been credited largely for limiting the country's economic losses to piracy.

Dr Mohammed Kamali, general director, Institute of Training and Judicial Studies, said, 'With access to rapidly evolving technology, software pirates around the world are focused on making a bigger impact by targeting naive customers.'

'This makes it imperative for software companies and the governments to increase their joint efforts to tackle piracy and take stringent measures to curb this menace. The UAE’s Copyright law is an advanced legislative instrument that provides the necessary legal basis for combating all forms of piracy,' he added.

Jawad Al Redha, BSA co-chairman in the Gulf region, said: 'The UAE roundtable served as an ideal platform for us to discuss new ways to combat software piracy in the country and to examine the challenges we jointly need to address.'

'As far as fighting software piracy and protecting intellectual property rights are concerned, the UAE has been setting an excellent example for other countries in the region to follow, and the BSA is pleased to provide all the necessary support to complement the country’s efforts in this regard,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service