Qatar's Anti-Piracy Centre Nets QR 1.25 Million Worth Illegal Software in 2011

Doha, February 06 (QNA) - Effective enforcement and campaigns conducted by the Intellectual Property Centre (IPC) of Qatar's Ministry of Justice in 2011 resulted in 37 cases being registered and pirated software worth QR 1.25 Million confiscated from law breakers, the top official of Qatar's antipiracy centre said here Monday. Announcing figures of IPC's successful campaigns last year at a media conference today, IPC Director Abdullah Ahmad Qayed said, "From a total of 55 inspections carried out by our officers last year, 37 cases were registered against Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) violators. "Of these 37, ten cases were against audio, ten against software and 17 against street vending violations. Most of these violations involved pirated movies, play stations games and audio content." The IPC and its partner Business Software Alliance (BSA), the world's foremost advocate for software industry, the jointly worked in the anti-piracy campaign conducted in various districts of Qatar through 2011. Commenting on the drive, Dubai-based BSA Gulf Chairman Jawad Al Redha said, "Our various anti-piracy campaigns were highly successful last year due to the active participation and support of the region's governments and their key agencies." Lauding Qatar's pro-active role in weeding out audio and video software piracy, Al Redha said, "Qatar has made great strides in pursuing a piracy-free society. It ranks among the top countries from the region in the drive against IPR violations. Qatar's Ministry of Justice has made significant contribution to this end," Jawad Al Redha added. Reaffirming this Qayed said, "The total value of unlicensed software and other counterfeit products confiscated in Qatar over a 11-year period from the year 2000 to 2012 aggregates upwards of QR 15 Million. Asked which is the most popular pirated software in circulation, Qayed replied, "Microsoft products are the most commonly others like Oracle are also pirated on a large scale." Explaining the method of identifying and catching IPR violators, the Qatari director said, "We have a team of officers which raids markets and suspected zones in co-ordiantion with the BSA. "When our officers make a seizure, the violators are brought to our Centre and after investigations we hand them over to the Capital Police which follows its procedures and takes the violator to the court." Reiterating the clarity of the IPR law, Al Redha said, "The law is very clear. It is not ambiguous. It does not differentiate between the unlicensed seller, reseller, end-user or an individual. Only the rights holder can use or download a software from the Internet if it is not available in the local market. If you don't have the license, you are clearly breaking the law." Regarding the stereotype of the law breaker in Qatar, Qayed said, "Most of the law violators are from the labour class here, mainly from the Industrial Area. There are others too, but it is a difficult task since many times even owners of private businesses are not aware that the software they are using is illegal or unlicensed since IPR violations are now an organised crime globally." Replying to a Qatar News Agency (QNA) question on the global efforts against this problem have achieved the desired goals, Al Redha said, "There has been increasing drop year-on-year in the incidence of software piracy. However, a monumental effort is required to achieve even one per cent drop in piracy." He stated that the State of Qatar is doing a good job to fix this menace. "There are three key pillars to solve this problem - political will, strong IPR law and enforcement. Qatar is doing this very well," Al Redha said. Qatar's keenness to tackle this issue can be assessed from the fact that it is now a member of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) which is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It is dedicated to developing a balanced and accessible international intellectual property (IP) system, which rewards creativity, stimulates innovation and contributes to economic development while safeguarding the public interest. Currently the WIPO has 185 members globally. Despite international coordination, the task remains complex. "You cannot reduce piracy to zero," said Qayed. "It is just not possible to check all incidences. Even the most advanced countries are grappling with this problem. What we need is a collective will the cooperation of all segments of society in the attempt to eradicate this problem." (QNA)