Anti-piracy authorities in Abu Dhabi recently collaborated with Microsoft Gulf, a member of the Business Software Alliance (BSA), to conduct raids on three Abu Dhabi-based IT resellers.

The raids resulted in the confiscation of suspected counterfeit CDs containing Microsoft software. Three persons were arrested.

“The Ministry of Economy takes intellectual property rights violation of any kind very seriously, as evidenced by the regular anti-piracy raids being conducted in the UAE,” said Abdullah Al Hussain, director of the Censorship Department, UAE Ministry of Economy.

“The Ministry will continue to extend all possible support to the concerned authorities to tackle software piracy and promote the sustained growth of the country’s IT sector,” he added.

Jawad Al Redha, BSA Chair in the Gulf region, said: “The UAE Ministry of Economy and other concerned anti-piracy authorities have been extending their total support to our members to ensure sustained efforts to curb software piracy in the country.”

“The latest raid on three resellers in Abu Dhabi will send out a strong message to counterfeiters and IT resellers in the UAE that any form of piracy will not be tolerated,” Al Redha concluded. – TradeArabia News Service