The UAE Ministry of Economy (MoE) has stepped up its campaign against pay TV piracy by authorising the disruption of internet websites which allowed users to illegally view satellite TV channels without subscription.

The latest MoE anti-piracy initiative, which commenced in the second week of June parallel to the Euro 2008 football championship, immediately led to the identification and disruption of ten Korean-based internet addresses.

This action marks the first of its kind in the UAE and the world against copyright violations, with even more unique strategies being planned by the Ministry.

“Cases of pay TV piracy have been increasing in the UAE, with dishonest operators showing more confidence that they can elude the law and the efforts of authorities concerned to prevent this crime,' said Mohammed Ahmed Bin Abdulaziz Alshihhi, undersecretary of the MoE.

'The recent raids show the effectiveness of government-coordinated operations in tracking down and sanctioning internet-based piracy. The Ministry will continue its efforts to combat intellectual property rights (IPR) violators and sustain our commitment to applying international standards and laws to protect the economy, investments, and consumers.”

In another move to fight piracy, the Ministry had recently issued orders to all national ports of entry and federal customs to confiscate illegally imported decoder boxes, which are used to acquire satellite TV signals and watch broadcasts without subscription.

A special full-time IT team has been hired to track down internet addresses that offer illegal TV viewing, he added.-TradeArabia News Service