The Global Software Piracy Study conducted by the Business Software Alliance (BSA), the world advocate for the software industry, in partnership with International Data Corporation (IDC), covered 116 countries, and revealed that commercial losses caused by software piracy in the Kingdom increased from $304 million in 2009 to $414 million in 2010. The study underscored the reality of software piracy in KSA during a time when many emerging markets are making concerted efforts to tackle software piracy. The study found that software piracy in developing nations was 2.5 times higher than in developed markets, and the total worldwide commercial value of pirated software in 2010 was US$59 billion, nearly double when the first study was conducted in 2003.Read More…

Microsoft Corporation has joined the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in recognising World Intellectual Property (IP) Day, an event that calls on the IT industry, governments and consumers to speak out about the importance of IP rights. Strong IP protections are central to instilling a culture of innovation, which can spur economic growth, create jobs and increase revenue for the broader industry and government organisations. World IP Day was observed on April 26, 2011. Microsoft believes that the global arena needs stronger IP protections in place to safeguard the industry’s ability to innovate, level the playing field for small businesses, and help local governments generate tax revenue through the legitimate sale and trade of genuine software.
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Business Software Alliance recently conducted an intellectual property rights (IPR) seminar in Qatar in coordination with the Intellectual Property Protection Centre to commence this year’s anti-piracy campaign in Qatar. The event spread the message of the importance of curbing software piracy to protect the country’s status as one of the Middle East’s most IT-enabled states. During the session, the Business Software Alliance commended the Centre for its vital contributions to combating piracy and discussed ways to further enhance the partnership between the two groups.Read More…

Business Software Alliance (BSA), appointed Jawad Al Redha to the post of Chair. Jawad comes with a wealth of experience in the protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and intellectual production in the Arab world. He has associated with BSA for a long time and has been quiet supportive to the issue of IPR as part of his earlier roles at BSA and he will continue to do so in his new role as Chair.

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