Gulf News journalist wins top award

Dubai:The Business Software Alliance (BSA), felicitated the winners of the Pan Arab IPR Media Awards 2008 during a ceremony held in Kuwait.

The Arab IPR Media Awards is a pioneering initiative that seeks to recognise the contribution of the media towards promoting a safe, legal and digitally inclusive society in the Arab World.

Campaign

"It is a significant achievement for our anti-piracy movement to be able to collaborate with the influential media to create awareness within the public sphere about the adverse effects of piracy. Our media partners serve as a vital link to help us deliver important messages, including information about intellectual property rights and the harmful effects of piracy. It is therefore only fitting that we honour their contributions through the Pan Arab IPR Media Awards," said Shaikha Rasha Naif Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Director of Intellectual Property Rights, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Kuwait, who led the awards ceremony.

Best feature article

Naushad K. Cherrayil of Gulf News won the award for the "Best Feature Article" along with nine other journalists across the Arab World. The awards were given in five categories. Naushad has won the award for the second consecutive year.

The Pan Arab IPR Media Awards 2008 underscores a growing anti-piracy movement in the region and the increased awareness about the negative effects of piracy on the entire society.

"The rapid IT adoption across the Middle East has opened huge business opportunities across all levels of the IT industry. However, along with these developments come new challenges, such as piracy, that need to be addressed. In light of this, we are very pleased to see various media organisations being proactively involved in our campaign to increase awareness about piracy and IPR issues through creative editorials, compelling investigative reports and insightful feature stories," Jawad Al Redha, BSA Co-Chairman in the Gulf, said.

Shaikha Rasha said the media played a "pivotal role" in curbing piracy and safeguarding IPR by creating and spreading much-needed awareness about the issue.