‘Over 48,000 pirated items confiscated in 2014’

AMMAN — Authorities confiscated more than 48,000 pirated items, including CDs and DVDs, in 2014, according to the National Library Department (NLD). 

NLD Director General Mohammad Abbadi said there was a 5 per cent increase in the number of confiscated items last year compared to 2013. 

Abbadi told The Jordan Times Saturday that the department referred some 460 cases of intellectual property rights violations to court in 2014, compared to about 420 the previous year. 

In 2014, the department confiscated 11 devices used to produce pirated CDs and DVDs. 

Each device produced 30,000 pirated discs per day, he added. 

“Last year witnessed intensive raids on stores, which led to more items seized and more cases referred to court,” Abbadi said. 

This year, the department plans to intensify campaigns on stores selling pirated video games, as the number of such items is on the rise.

Software piracy in Jordan dropped by 1 per cent in 2013 and the Kingdom was among five Arab states with the lowest illegal use of unlicensed software, according to a study by the Business Software Alliance (BSA).

Jordan registered a 57 per cent software piracy rating in 2013, compared to 58 per cent in 2011 and 57 per cent in 2009, the 2013 BSA Global Software Survey said.

The commercial value of unlicensed software in Jordan amounted to $35 million in 2013 compared to $31 million in 2011, according to the BSA study.

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.