Morocco needs to firmly counter piracy, Minister

It is necessary to firmly counter piracy and counterfeiting in the audiovisual domain through the dissemination of moral awareness and the spirit of responsibility and citizenship among the population, said Tuesday, Communication Minister, Nabil Benabdallah.

The minister deplored, at a conference on "Counterfeiting and Piracy of Audiovisual Property," that though Morocco has enacted a package of laws and rules to protect intellectual property, such legislations proved to be insufficient to shield professional interests and promote creation.

To remedy this situation, it is necessary to carry out a two-fold action of sensitizing persons in charge of enforcing these laws and crack down on any violation.

Speaking at the two-day conference, the representative of World Intellectual Property Organization, Georges Ghandour, pointed out that piracy is the major hindrance to promoting copyright in several countries.

Piracy costs Morocco MAD 2b (Euro 200m) of economic losses, with an average rate of over 70% in the sectors of software, music and cinema. This compelled the North African country to place the crackdown on piracy among its priorities for 2005.