AMMAN – Software piracy in Jordan rose by 1 percent in 2011, but the rate was still among the lowest in the region, a study by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) indicated. "Although Jordan's rate increased by 1 per cent in 2011, we are optimistic about the future. This is a slight increase and we have plans to reduce piracy rates to about 55 per cent by the end of 2012," National Library Department (NLD) Director General Mohammad Abbadi told The Jordan Times. "We will intensify our crackdown on vendors of pirated software, DVDs, CDs and games this year and in the years to come as piracy harms Jordan's economy," he said. Software industry losses increased in 2011, amounting to $31 million compared to $28 million in 2010, $26 million in 2009 and $22 million in 2008, the BSA reported indicated. The NLD recently formed a committee comprising representatives of the Jordan Customs Department (JCD), the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, the Public Security Department and other bodies, to ensure the enforcement of the laws barring the sale of pirated software, according to Abbadi. "The NLD will also assign some of its employees to work with customs personnel at the borders. The majority of pirated software or DVDs and other items come from Syria. Therefore, there is a need to intensify monitoring at the borders with Syria," he said. Abbadi added that the NLD will hold a series of workshops soon to educate JCD personnel on the Copyright Law and how to detect pirated items. The Jordanian Copyright Law stipulates that it is a crime to download software, music or movies that are protected under the legislation. Offenders face a prison sentence of between three months and three years and a fine ranging from JD1,000 to JD6,000. The NLD has referred about 4,000 cases of intellectual property rights violations to court since 2000. The Kingdom registered a 58 percent software piracy rating last year, compared to 57 percent in 2010 and 2009, according to the ninth annual BSA Global Software Piracy Study. The lowest piracy rate in the region was registered in the UAE (37 percent), followed by Qatar (50 percent), Saudi Arabia (51 percent) and Bahrain (54 percent), the study revealed. – Agencies
