The UAE Ministry of Economy (MoE), in line with its increased efforts to curb piracy violations, has issued a fresh warning to those involved in illegally importing satellite TV decoders into the country and to those selling decoders programmed to decrypt Pay TV channels without authorization from the providers. The Ministry recently issued letters instructing authorities in all ports of entry in the seven emirates to confiscate decoders that are imported illegally into the UAE, reaffirming the fact that such an act is a clear violation of the UAE's copyright law 7 of 2002, Article 38, which stipulates that decrypting of pay TV channels are not allowed within or outside UAE. Neighboring GCC countries will soon adopt similar measures that will curb the entry of illegal decoders into their country.
"We will not show any leniency to violators of Intellectual Property Rights; it is high time that traders and users of pirated and illegally imported decoders are held responsible for the consequences of their actions. We are putting in our best efforts to fight piracy comprehensively on all fronts by placing necessary barriers. We also call upon the general public to report to the MoE any cases of piracy that they are aware of," said a senior Ministry of Economy official.
"With regard to the illegal import of satellite TV decoders, we would like to warn all parties involved in the illegal trade and distribution of decoder boxes to view pay TV channels without proper authorization from providers that they will face stringent enforcement of the copyright law. Moreover, the public needs to be aware that use of decoder boxes to view channels with content that is against the religious, cultural and moral values of the country, will also corrupt the minds of children. Our main goal is to create a conducive environment for foreign investors and safeguard the integrity of local businesses through strict enforcement and effective IPR regime, thus making UAE a model for IPR protection in the Middle East," he added.
Under the leadership of the Ministry of Economy, the Government agencies, enforcement authorities, Municipality and police across the UAE are all collaborating to jointly combat piracy and uphold the copyright law in the UAE. In coordination with the Governmental authorities in charge, Dubai police has already orchestrated several raids on dealers facilitating sale of decoder boxes programmed to view pay TV channels and channels containing immoral content. The accused involved were charged with copyright violation involving heavy fines, imprisonment and deportation.
Commending the MoE's efforts to curb piracy, Scott Butler, CEO of AAA, said, "The stringent enforcement of copyright law by the authorities and their effective partnership with the Ministry of Interiors, and customs and enforcement authorities, has greatly contributed towards successful raids and appropriate legal action against offenders. We highly appreciate the efforts of the UAE authorities, including the MoE, Municipality and the police force, for their sustained battle to curb the menace of copyright piracy especially Pay TV and decoder box piracy in the UAE. AAA is working closely with various authorities in the UAE that are involved with IPR protection, to raise awareness and to facilitate criminal action against the guilty."
"AAA and Pay TV members strongly condemn the exploitation of the rights of the Pay TV industry, which spend millions of dirhams to gain rights. However, pirates and hackers deprive the right holders of their market share which they have painstakingly established over the years, by illegally decrypting Pay TV channels, copying CDs and DVDs, and illegally distributing Pay TV via decoder boxes. This not only affects the original right holders' profitability, but also creates an unhealthy environment for foreign investors, triggers unemployment and hampers economic growth. Copyright offence is as serious as any other criminal offence and should be dealt with deterrent penalties to send a strong warning to prospective pirates," he added.
Butler also pointed out that the Arabian Anti-Piracy Alliance has assigned a specialized IT team to continuously manipulate IP addresses to block illegal viewing of pay TV channels, and trace and seize the violators, in collaboration with the authorities. "We are on an all-out effort to curtail piracy in the region, and our anti-piracy operations in KSA, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, in addition to the UAE, are showing encouraging results," he said.
Since the Ministry of Economy took over the initiative this year, it has been working closely with the Arabian Anti-Piracy Alliance and the police departments in the country to check all forms of piracy. The AAA has been instrumental in providing specialised training to Ministry officials to help them effectively identify pirated goods, while also supporting police teams by providing information about specific cases of copyright infringement.
"The Ministry of Economy is leading by example with their aggressive measures to curb piracy in the country, and we thank the Ministry and the police department for their relentless support to AAA and our initiatives," concluded Butler.
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