Why the UAE Needs Intellectual Property Reforms, and Now!!
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The Leaders must act now!
The GCC regional industry suffers an estimated US$ 500mn loss each year, there is critical need for end-to-end piracy control measures ranging from effective watermarking technologies to enforcement of laws.
Source: http://antipiracyconference.com
“The UAE is one of the leading countries in fighting counterfeit software trading, piracy and other illegal activities.
We are taking a tough stand against software piracy in order to protect software companies based in the region,” said Salem Al Amiri, Director-General, Department of Information Control in the UAE Ministry of Information and Culture.
“This has successfully reduced piracy rates in the country.
Positive results have been achieved through strict implementation of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) laws, helping the UAE emerge as the IT hub of the region.”
“In the increasingly secure IT scenario leading international software companies are setting up operations in the country to serve the IT needs of the Middle East and neighbouring countries.
The UAE’s success in drastically reducing piracy levels highlights the importance of protecting Intellectual Property Rights in order to create a healthy business environment and present an equal platform for all software companies.
Eradication of software piracy will further boost the software industry and create more job opportunities in the region,” added Al Amiri.
Source: https://www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/general/raid-on-5-illegal-software-traders
The United Arab Emirates in general and the emirate of Dubai has been eminently pro-business, and entrepreneur-friendly policies are being propelled with aggressive velocity into the global media and world powers that matters.
As a first-generation entrepreneur who have setup shop in March this year. I was appalled to see the level of software piracy and cracked licenses in use in the UAE. In spite of so many efforts by the UAE Government.
It is not just popular software like Microsoft, Adobe or AutoCAD but even other professional design software like Solidworks, EdgeCAD, AlphaCAM and others are being used by ‘reputed’ companies with a casual level of impunity that is just appalling.
And this is not just detestable but a shame! We need to create an environment of running businesses in an ethical way, certainly for the size of companies that we talked about.
The regulator must foster a business culture where creative work (including software) is protected from piracy and plagiarism.
And it must arm its judiciary and law-enforcement agencies with serious ammunition to book the offenders.
Ethics and an integrity culture is practiced at different levels – personal, at institutional or at country levels.
The culture, good or bad, permeates into all levels.
Here is my simple logic. If a bounced cheque is a crime, punishable by law and if I can book a police complaint against the offender, illegal software users shall also receive the same status of offense.
As creators of software ourselves, I know the efforts, investment and creative thinking that goes into the making of a software, that is used to solve a real-life problem.
And some unscrupulous companies using the software illegally are nothing short of thieves, characterless organizations shorn of all integrity in their DNA.
This is a grey area that needs redressal immediately as the world moves towards a knowledge-based economy where it is shared ideas, resources and a culture of support that drives productivity.
Use of pirated software in a public enterprise is a cognizable offense, punishable by law. It should not be left to vendors of software to take upon the companies suspected of using illegal software.
Large companies like Microsoft, Adobe and Autodesk take it upon themselves to conduct ‘audits’ in several companies suspected of using cracked software.
The ‘audits’ are nothing but a euphemism for ‘hostile raids’ in which they come, barge into your premises and crack down on illegal software usage.
These big companies are right! It is their software which is being illegally used and they have a right to catch the offenders. So, what is the option for the companies?
Either to continue using pirated software and hope they won’t get caught, -or- switch to an alternative legal software -or- simply pay up and use the original version of the same.
At ISOTECH Technologies, we represent a whole range of software solutions from HEXAGON, right from BricsCAD software for .dwg CAD design to the complete range of CAM – manufacturing software for metal, plastic and wood, everything from 2/3/4/5 axis milling, grinding, laser and waterjet cutting, tool & dies design.
Our manufacturing software solutions are versatile and can be used for mass-produced engineering manufacture or artistic reproductions.
In simple words, we are now the official partners and reseller representatives for HEXAGON Production Software products like ALPHACAM, Cabinet Vision, Edgecam, Radan, SURFCAM, VISI, Machining Strategist and WorkNC, along with ERP/MRP systems like Javelin and WORKPLAN.
We are also the #1 BricsCAD Sales and Support point in the United Arab Emirates. BricsCAD is a product of Hexagon PPM.
We are here for the long haul and one of our first missions is to ensure that we formalize and legalize all the existing users of these software.
We are launching an initiative in the UAE to battle against software piracy. It will be an ongoing one and we hope to show organizations here to lead the way by holding their head high with pride, use licensed software and reap the benefits of support and other luxuries that come with it.
If you are using a not-so-legal copy of CAD, come and talk to us for an alternative called BricsCAD, that would enable you to pay only 25% of what leading CAD platform would, yet enable you to hold your head high and walk with pride that you are a user of legitimate software that works and delivers.
Let us work together to eliminate software piracy in the UAE and we are here to contribute and help!!
The Year 2019 is the year of Tolerance in the UAE, but let it not be the year of tolerance for software piracy and fraudulent use.
Key Contacts:
Rakesh Rao : rakesh.rao(@)kiro-tech.com (+91-9243438300)
Amit Dubey : amit.dubey(@)isotech-me.com (+971-50-5013518)