Pirated copies of Windows and Office have been confiscated after Microsoft and UAE authorities raid a city reseller.

Following the raid, Microsoft and the reseller reached an out-of-court civil settlement and the unnamed UAE reseller has “undertaken not to distribute any counterfeit or unlicensed Microsoft product in future”.

The reseller also paid damages as material compensation for copyright violations.

Jawad Al Redha, IPR Manager, Microsoft Gulf said in a statement, “We congratulate the UAE government authorities in their efforts to curb software piracy in the UAE. Microsoft takes the issue of the pirated software very seriously, as many consumers, businesses and resellers are adversely affected by the use of counterfeit software every year.

“We will continue to step up our efforts to increase awareness about the value of intellectual property rights as a driver of economic growth and encourage respect for intellectual property in the region.”