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info2cell’s Dahabra to call for Mideast Internet
information providers to follow voluntary code of practice Dubai, 9th October, 2000 Bashar Dahabra, CEO of Middle East WAP information pioneer info2cell, has called for Mideast Internet companies to respect the intellectual rights of fellow information providers, whether or not they are Internet based. The call comes as the region moves towards explosive mobile Internet growth, and is to form the core focus of Dahabra’s address to the GSM in the Middle East and Gulf conference, to be held in Bahrain on the 22nd of October. “It is vital that we respect the standards expected of a region whose governments have all ratified clear copyright legislation,” said Dahabra. “This is the only way forwards if we are all to work together to preserve the confidence of global consumers in content that has originated from the Middle East. We have legislation, but we lack compliance!” The call mirrors the stance of internationally respected organisations that specialise in copyright, intellectual property and ethical issues, including the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and the Gulf Centre for Excellence in Ethics (GCEE). Both organisations have pinpointed the protection of intellectual property rights as a key factor in the maintenance of consumer confidence in the region’s burgeoning Internet, e-commerce and m-commerce industries. “Copyright Protection is vital for the successful introduction of new technologies in the Middle East” explained Ashok Sharma, Diretor, BSA Middle East. “Strong enforcemnet of Copyright Laws creates a strong motivator for companies which want to invest in the region” Sharma addded. info2cell points out ME content issues Alex Zalami, managing director of the GCEE, adds further weight to the issue for the 'e-entrepeneurs' of the region. “Only by addressing key ethical issues will the Middle East's new economy entrepreneurs be able to collectively maintain global business partner and customer confidence in enterprises originating from this region. The issue of protection of content is a vital issue for Internet companies, and the theft or misuse of third party content is a major concern for all of us here in the region." “Dubai’s Internet City Law number 1 specifically upholds copyright in the Internet space,” said Dahabra. “It is clearly incumbent on Internet companies in the Middle East to match that standard of copyright protection if content providers are to compete on a level playing field and work to build the reputation of the region’s Internet industry. And yet we are facing issues where our content and that of others in the market is not being respected.” Dahabra’s info2cell is the Middle East’s pioneer in Mobile driven information services, providing news and real time information services designed to service GSM mobile users as well as giving Internet and hand-held device (PDA) formatted services. The company holds clear licensing agreements with both local and international information providers that underpin the dependability of all of its 60-plus information channels, including Reuters Factiva, AFP, WAM, Petra and others . “Over the past two years, info2cell has carefully built a stable of strong global information streams to support the WAP and SMS Mobile information initiatives of the region’s GSM operators. At the end of the day, those operators can be confident that the services we are offering are credible because they are licensed, official and legal,” Dahabra said.
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