Parties to Focus on Awareness Campaigns, Training Workshops and Inspections

DUBAI, UAE, 17th APRIL 2013 -- Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software, is collaborating with the United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Economy to protect intellectual property rights. The parties will work together to improve software license compliance through awareness campaigns, training workshops and inspections.

With high demand for cultural products such as films, music and software, piracy has become a prominent issue. It is estimated that global piracy caused losses of US$63 billion in 2011, with the Gulf region suffering a loss of approximately US$850 million*.

Mr. Juma Mubarak Feroz, the Manager of Commercial Control, Department of the Ministry of Economy stated, "The Ministry is looking to achieve the goal of enhancing consumer protection and enabling proper business practices in addition to affirming its commitment to provide a safe and competitive environment and will continue to work with its strategic partners in the public and private sectors in order to promote and support the efforts to combat piracy and the violation of intellectual property rights. We encourage all rights owners to collaborate with the Ministry in order to achieve the common interest in eliminating piracy and copyright violations. These efforts have led to the UAE ranking as a top Arab country in fighting against intellectual property rights infringement." Feroz added that, "the administration of commercial control at The Ministry of Economy, with the guidance of senior leadership, is keen to meet with the customers and strategic partners to listen to their opinions and suggestions regarding the development of piracy software."

"The issue of piracy is one that extends beyond boundaries, often resulting in financial losses for companies and economies. Autodesk believes that professionals will benefit from greater awareness of this issue, as they may not fully appreciate the damage piracy can do to their business performance and reputation," says Mr. Louay Dahmash, Territory Director, Autodesk Middle East.

*Source: BSA Global Software Piracy Study 

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© Press Release 2013