Thursday, Jun 21, 2012
Dubai:
The Criminal Investigation Department in Dubai Police has stepped up its efforts to fight piracy of encrypted satellite channels and violation of intellectual property rights, it was announced on Wednesday.
The move aims to protect economic development, encourage investment and enhance regional efforts to combat this trend, which causes losses to providers of paid television channels.
Brigadier Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Director of CID, said the economic crime section is carrying out a large-scale campaign in cooperation with providers, who sent written complaints against sellers and users of illegal decoders.
“When a complaint is received that illegal signal reception services are used in a building, we address the property company managing this building to remove the illegal central systems in 15 days, and if they fail to oblige, we summon the responsible person and a case is registered against him in line with article 38 of the Federal Penal Code law No7 for 2002 on intellectual property,” Brig Al Mansouri said.
As for individual violations, the offenders are given the same grace period by placing stickers on their doors or at the entrance or elevators of the building, which is done by the providers’ representatives, he said.
After this step, members of the economic crime section summon inhabitants of the apartments that failed to oblige, and they are referred to Public Prosecution.
Brig Al Mansouri said most residents respond to warnings, and four cases were referred to prosecutors last week.
“Police do not raid apartments or confiscate passports over these violations, and all policemen do is knock on doors and ask residents to give their decoders and cards and summon them to the department,” he said.
Lieutenant Colonel Salah Bu Osaiba, Director of the Economic Crime Section, said the campaign was launched after several complaints from providers against individuals and property management companies who were using illegal decoders to receive paid television services.
By Dina Aboul Hosn Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2012. All rights reserved.
