ALKHOBAR, 26 May 2004 — The Ministry of Information in the Eastern Province in a raid on Sunday seized pirated software worth hundreds of thousands of riyals and arrested many illegal vendors.
The afternoon raid was conducted on King Fahd Street, which in the past year has become a hub for pirated CDs and software. The raid was part of the ministry’s drive to enforce copyright laws more strictly ahead of the Kingdom’s entry into the World Trade Organization.
Software companies operating in the Kingdom say piracy is causing them millions of riyals in losses.
The raid caused chaos on King Fahd Street, a center for the computer and accessories trade. Vendors of pirated goods were seen running off, leaving their merchandise behind.
Some of them were caught and a few buyers let off with a caution.
An official accompanying the raiding party said the ministry will conduct similar raids elsewhere. “We are going to wipe out this piracy, there is no question about it,” he said.
However, after similar raids in the past piracy continued unabated, with vendors simply moving their business elsewhere. The original hub for pirated CDs was Shula Market, which was gutted in a fire about four years ago.
As a result the piracy business scattered around the whole of Dammam and Alkhobar.
Pirated software sells for SR5 to SR10 where the price of the real thing sometimes runs into three or even four figures.
Initially, pirated software came from Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong and India, but the Customs Department’s efforts stopped much of the import.
As a result, copies are now made in the Kingdom. Officials at the Ministry of Information agree that such clandestine operations are difficult to check. But they are determined to put an end to the business.
