‘85% of public departments no longer using pirated software’

AMMAN — About 85 per cent of private and public sector institutions in Jordan are no longer using any pirated software, an official said Sunday.

“This is a very good percentage and it will lead to improvement in Jordan’s ranking in regional and international reports on software piracy,” said National Library Department (NLD) Director General Mohammad Abbadi.

The NLD has been intensively implementing campaigns over the past few years to crack down on usage of pirated software in different entities including schools, professional associations, companies and municipalities. 

It has also taken measures to ensure that ministries and other public entities are using original software, according to Abbadi.

“Some small-sized entities in remote areas and villages might still be using pirated software, but our efforts will continue to push the ratio of entities and organisations using original software to 100 per cent,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone.

“The lower the percentage of pirated software used by entities, the better it is for the economy, for investments and for the country’s overall reputation and ability to attract investments in relevant areas,” the official added.

In 2015, the NLD confiscated around 40,000 pirated items, including books, CDs and DVDs, of which around 2-3 per cent were porn film DVDs.

The number of pirated items confiscated last year was lower than in 2014, when the figure stood at 48,000, Abbadi said.

In 2015, the department referred some 360 cases of intellectual property rights violations to court, compared with 460 cases in 2014.

The Jordanian Copyright Law stipulates that it is a crime to download software, music or movies that are protected under the legislation. Offenders face a prison sentence of between three months and three years and a fine ranging from JD1,000 to JD6,000. 

Around 4,000 stores in the country sell pirated items, according to Abbadi.