More than a third of commercial computer software in the country is pirated, according to a report which claims the practice cost the industry over half a billion dirhams last year.
The report, the seventh annual study by the Business Software Alliance, a piracy watchdog, and IDC, an IT and telecommunications consultancy, estimated that Dh1.9billion had been lost to piracy since 2005.
It claimed that for every Dh100 of legitimate software sold, another Dh56 worth was pirated - about 36 per cent. This rate had remained virtually unchanged since 2005, when it was 34 per cent, raising concerns that antipiracy strategies were not working.
However, the rate was lower than the global average of 43 per cent, with the country ranking 21st out of 111 in tackling the problem. This put it ahead of all Arab countries.
"[The companies] should focus on the awareness of the consumers and to get them to understand why they are better off with original software," said Maj Faisal al Shamari, Abu Dhabi Police's chief information security officer.
Maj al Shamari defended the UAE's record on piracy, saying that companies were largely to blame.
They indirectly contributed to the problem by carrying out too few corporate social responsibility projects, which contributed to their image as unsympathetic "tycoons", he said.
The overpricing of software was also a factor.
"We have no taxes here in the UAE, so why are their prices the same as in the US?" asked Maj al Shamari, adding that few companies offered incentives such as student discounts which are common in the West.
Experts said the problem was probably far more acute for the entertainment industry.
This was partly because people could download material from their homes, said Dr Fadi Aloul, the assistant professor of computer engineering at the American University of Sharjah.
"People don't fear or think much about the piracy issues involved," he said, adding that no middleman was required.
While figures were unavailable for how many computer games were pirated, Kishan Palija, the managing director of Geekay Games, a retailer based in the UAE, said customers very rarely bought software after buying games consoles such as the Xbox 360.
"Obviously piracy of video games is much higher than software," he said.
"If you go into the small malls to a small electronics kiosk they will load games on your PlayStation Portable. People are buying the machines and pirating the games."
Experts were divided on how best to tackle the problem. Most favoured tougher enforcement measures against sellers and organisations that used pirated commercial software, but took a different approach to individual consumers.
One suggestion was to restrict access to websites that promoted piracy.
"[In the UAE] we have a proxy, which has advantages and disadvantages," said Dr Aloul. "One of the advantages is that it can block the sites that allow illegal downloads."
Consumers also needed to be educated on the dangers of using pirated software, which is often infected with programmes that can compromise the user's security, said Lance Spitzner, the president of HoneyTech, an IT security consultancy.
"You want to educate the users on the risks of using pirated software, which is easily infected, can't be updated and often doesn't really work," said Mr Spitzner.
Once people were educated, said Dr Aloul, they would realise that piracy was a "time bomb" on their computers.
Instead of going after the end users, the Government needed to concentrate on the suppliers of pirate programmes and the companies that used them.
"You have to go after the organisations that are most flagrantly doing it. Go after the big fish," he said.
kshaheen@thenational.ae
hdajani@thenational.ae
List of alleged parties
May 15 2020: PM and Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at
least 17 staff members
May 20 2020: PM and Carrie attend 'bring your own booze'
party
Nov 27 2020: PM gives speech at leaving do for his staff
Dec 10 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary
Gavin Williamson
Dec 13 2020: PM and Carrie throw a flat party
Dec 14 2020: London mayor candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff party at Conservative
Party headquarters
Dec 15 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
Dec 18 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
The%C2%A0specs%20
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6-cylinder%2C%204.8-litre%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E5-speed%20automatic%20and%20manual%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E280%20brake%20horsepower%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E451Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh153%2C00%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20Profile
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The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
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Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
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Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
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Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
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Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
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