13 June 2007
BEIRUT: Computer and software piracy in Lebanon fell to 73 percent in 2006 from 76 percent in 2005 but the financial losses caused by the illegal practice jumped by $4 million to $39 million, according to the Business Software Alliance (BSA). The BSA, which monitors copyright violations around the globe, said in a report released on Monday that Lebanon ranked as the third-worst country in Middle East and 35th in the world in terms of piracy.
BSA officials attributed the prevalance of piracy to instability and events that have disrupted the work of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Rights Bureau (CCIPRB).
They added that pirates have benefited from the chaos to increase their operations.
"However, the copyright industry, including BSA, has been active, and last January destroyed hundreds of thousands of pirated CDs and DVDs in a huge display at the Roumieh Prison," Aly Harakeh, an official from BSA, said in a statement.
He added that early this month, a representative of the copyright industry met with the head of the CCIPRB, identified ten high-profile targets and set out a plan to pursue them.
"The plan also includes periodical sweeps," Harakeh said. "However, the security situation has mandated some caution."
Police raided dozens of suspected shops selling pirated software and games in Beirut in 2006 but the illegal operators always found ways to outsmart the police.
Pirated software is audaciously displayed in many stores, while others hide their stuff in their homes or cars.
"I hide most of the pirated CDs and DVDs in secret places. I only sell them to customers I know," an owner of a shop selling pirated materials told The Daily Star.
The store owner, who spoke on condition of anonymity, estimated that after the war with Israel last summer police raids fell by more than 70 percent.
"They have more important matters these days," he said.
But some software companies say that piracy in Lebanon has fell to some extent.
Claude Bohsali, the general manager of Middle East Data Systems, told The Daily Star that companies and banks are increasingly keen to legalize their software operations.
"There should be more enforcement by the authorities and shops selling pirated programs should be raided," Bohsali said.
He added that authorities should respond to complaints by giant software companies such as Microsoft and Oracle.
"Some companies are offering special prices on programs," he explained, "but this is limited because the prices are in the same line of the international markets."
Enforcement of intellectual property is among the strict conditions of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Lebanese government has promised the trade body to reduce copyright violations.
Economy and Trade Minister Sami Haddad, who has been working diligently to remove all barriers before joining WTO, admitted recently that more efforts are needed to stamp put the practice.
The BSA said in its report that progress was made in 2006 in the fight against software piracy. "Of the 102 countries covered in this year's study, the piracy rate dropped in 62 countries from 2005 to 2006," the report said.
It added that the piracy rate increased in 13 countries.
"However, because the worldwide personal computer market grew much faster in higher-piracy countries and regions, the worldwide personal computer software piracy rate remained at 35 percent for a third consecutive year." It added that at the same time, because the size of the market grew significantly in 2006, losses from piracy at that rate rose by more than $5 billion, a 15 percent increase over 2005.
