Bonum Certa Men Certa

Cablegate: US Embassy Changes Saudi Laws and Practices for Microsoft, Helps Shut Down Saudi Stores

Cablegate



Summary: A demonstration of how -- with help from the US government -- Microsoft was able to influence affairs overseas and also raid shops that spread Microsoft products

THIS morning we showed a few cables from Saudi Arabia. Microsoft was trying to change laws and practices there, in order of course to better accommodate Microsoft's profit model, not to help Saudi citizens. Well, this leaning on the government -- helped by US officials -- seems to have paid off. We've just found another Cablegate cable from exactly 2 years ago. It shows the role of the BSA behind the scenes too:










VZCZCXRO5063 PP RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHDIR DE RUEHRH #1202/01 2571429 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 141429Z SEP 09 FM AMEMBASSY RIYADH TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1567 INFO RUEHZM/GCC COLLECTIVE PRIORITY UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RIYADH 001202

SIPDIS SENSITIVE

STATE FOR NEA/ARP (HARRIS, BERNDT) AND EEB/TPP/IPE DEPT PLEASE PASS TO USTR (BUNTIN)

E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON, ETRD, KIPR, SA SUBJECT: Microsoft and Saudi leaders cite progress on IPR

Ref: Jeddah 297

1. (SBU) Summary: The Saudi Ministry of Culture continues to make progress working through a backlog of cases of suspected copyright violators. The Ministry reports it has closed several stores for brief periods until they resolve copyright violations. It plans for the first time to refer a repeat offender to the Board of Grievances. The Ministry supports greater public relations efforts to increase awareness of IPR issues, and it is willing to work with industry on training and awareness campaigns. Meanwhile, local Microsoft representatives tell us they have seen the Saudi government show improvement in both attitude and enforcement, and they confirmed to us that one computer store has been closed for IPR violations. The company remains willing to work with Saudi ministries to provide training and increase awareness, although they still say enforcement could be stronger, including within the SAG. End summary.

Microsoft exec: Saudi record on IPR has improved... --------------------------------------------- -------

2. (SBU) On September 8, Fernando De Sousa, Microsoft's chief operating officer in Saudi Arabia, paid a farewell call on Charge Ambassador Erdman, thanking him for the Embassy's strong support on IPR issues. The Ambassador briefed De Sousa on his recent conversations with Minister of Commerce and Industry Abdullah Zainal Alireza (reftel), in which the Minister reiterated Saudi Arabia's commitment to fulfill all of its WTO commitments to protect intellectual property. The Minister had said he welcomed the interest of companies like Microsoft in supporting SAG enforcement efforts, including through training. Econ Counselor also briefed the Microsoft team on recent conversations with Assistant Deputy Culture Minister for Internal Information Abdulrahman Al-Hazzaa, who also welcomed cooperation with Microsoft and other companies on training and public awareness campaigns.

3. (SBU) Hazzaa reported that the Ministry of Culture and Information is processing the backlog of IPR enforcement cases that had been awaiting review by the violations review committee, finishing an average of 7 a week, and on track to finish reviewing all old cases by the end of September (the committee was meeting in the adjoining room while Econoffs called on Hazzaa). Hazzaa said that this will allow the committee to focus on bringing new cases from inspectors, which will help improve awareness of enforcement efforts. Hazzaa reported that, as a result of the committee's reviews, several shops have been closed with the posting of large public notices explaining why until the owners come and settle their fines with the Ministry. The point, according to Hazzaa, is to impress upon store owners that they cannot sell pirated goods with impunity. (Microsoft reps separately confirmed they are aware of one computer store having been closed down and said that closures may help stores selling legitimate software compete if enforcement is seen as more pervasive.) Hazzaa also reported that increased Ministry inspections and enforcement efforts have disrupted the ability of black market vendors to sell a range of pirated products. Econoffs have observed a reduction in the public sale of pirated software and other items, like movies, over the last year. Microsoft representatives agree that there has been some reduction in street-level sales, although they believe stores in malls continue to sell pirated software.

4. (SBU) Hazzaa also reported that the committee had found one commercial entity had engaged in so many violations that the committee has recommended, for the first time, that the case be sent to the Board of Grievances with a recommended fine of SR 100,000. He explained that the Minister of Culture and Information will have to approve this referral, and he promised to push hard for this approval, noting that this will send an important message to the Saudi public and business owners that the Ministry is serious about enforcing copyright laws.

... and the issue now is sustainment ------------------------------------

5. (SBU) De Sousa told the Ambassador that there has been improvement in IPR copyright protection in the last several years, although he said the issue now is to make this improvement sustainable. He also stressed Microsoft's willingness to support efforts by the Ministries of Culture and Commerce to publicize enforcement efforts and assist public campaigns to raise awareness of IPR issues.

6. (SBU) Despite the improvement in the overall climate, De Souza noted that problems remain. He noted that Microsoft has discovered a software activation key licensed to the Ministry of Interior has been used in Pakistan and other south Asian countries to attempt to register product upgrades. The Ambassador suggested that Microsoft work with the Business Software Alliance and other companies to come up with a white paper listing specific problems on which it would be

RIYADH 00001202 002 OF 002

useful to have greater cooperation with the SAG, including the Ministry of Interior.

7. (SBU) Comment: The Embassy will continue to work with the Ministries of Culture and Commerce and with industry representatives to foster agreement on a public relations campaign to increase awareness about IPR issues. We will also continue to support industry offers to provide training to SAG inspectors, and efforts to achieve SAG support to allow an audit of its own software to ensure it does not exceed its existing license requirements. End comment.

MUENCH







As one of our readers put it earlier today, "More and more, governments act as butlers for big companies."

Recent Techrights' Posts

If You Don't Control Your Online Platform, Then Someone Else is Controlling You
be (or become) independent
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Has a Policy on Racism and Sexism
In then future we'll show the misogyny and racial slurs
Links 22/09/2025: Murdochs Might Join Fentanylware (TikTok) 'Investors' (Masters), United Kingdom Recognises Palestinian Statehood
Links for the day
The 50-Pound Note Experiment and the "War on Cash"
Britain is actually seeing a rebound in cash payments, and it's not a temporary phenomenon
 
What Scares Them the Most is Independent News Sites That They Cannot Control and Censor
Wikileaks was a good example of this
Oracle Started This Year With Slop. Then It Stopped.
Passing fads are like this
Distros That Run on PCs Made 20 Years Ago and Don't Use Systemd
Betas for now
The Complaint About Brett Wilson LLP - Part I - Abusing British Women on Behalf of American Men Who Abuse American Women
Transparency is important to us, so we've decided to make this series
Slopwatch: Google News and the Evident Slopfarm Infestation
This is what people get about Linux when they query Google for Linux
Gemini Links 22/09/2025: Esperanto Music History and Apps For Android
Links for the day
Links 22/09/2025: More American 'Censorship' (Retaliation for Journalism), Cheeto "Might Be Losing His Race Against Time"
Links for the day
The Blob Slop
Give me more words, give me some text
Slopwatch: Blaming the Victims for Microsoft's Failures and Plagiarising Phoronix
That's what Google has been reduced to: slop and slopfarms
Links 22/09/2025: Breaches, Windows TCO, and Arrests
Links for the day
Gemini Links 22/09/2025: Rabbit Hole and DeGoogling Fairphone
Links for the day
Links 22/09/2025: Russian War Planes Invade NATO Airspace While Dihydroxyacetone Man Escalates Attack on Free Speech Because of Critics
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, September 21, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, September 21, 2025
Links 21/09/2025: "Hey Hi" (Hype) Under Fire, Fakes Identified; Tesla Burns Family
Links for the day
Google's Software is Malware and Malware in Mobile Devices
Originally posted by Rob Musial
Links 20/09/2025: Hegemony Coming to a Close, Luigi Mangione Ruled Not Terrorist
Links for the day
Gemini Links 21/09/2025: "Charlie Kirk Was a Hateful Piece of Shit" and Slop Code Attempted by Microsofter
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, September 20, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, September 20, 2025
Gemini Links 20/09/2025: Snowy Photos and utism is a Spectrum
Links for the day
Microsoft-Sponsored Xenophobia and Nationalism
IBM is very similar in this regard
Vintage is Sometimes Better
Why can't we get back to "simple" if (or where) "simple" means better?
Climate Breakdown Means We'll be Publishing More, Not Less
Press freedom will be a common, recurring theme
Our 5-Year Geminispace Anniversary is Coming Up
I still remember when Gemini Protocol was quite new
It's Right to Point Out Violence From the Right
Violence is a recurring theme
Tentative Summary of Things to Publish in Project 2030
I'll still be in my forties by then
Web Browsers That "Do Hey Hi" (AI)
State-of-the-art plagiarism or "autocomplete on steroids" (not coined by us, nevertheless a nice description) don't have much/any prospect
Links 20/09/2025: Hardware Projects in View, Some Independent Publishers About Russia Prosper After Cheeto Cuts Funding
Links for the day
Gemini Links 20/09/2025: Options and TV Time Machine
Links for the day
Links 20/09/2025: Retrocomputer, Antique Phone Experience, and More
Links for the day
Links 20/09/2025: Internet Shutdowns, Media Censorship, and Climate Worries
Links for the day
About 700 New Gemini Capsules in 13 Months (or 54 Per Month)
4.8K would represent a 20% increase
Rust People: Drain the Swap, You're Holding It Wrong
Does Rust make sense?
Techrights the Name Turns 15
About 6 weeks from now we turn 19
Microsoft is Running Out of Time and Floating Fake Figures, Fake Projects, Fake Narratives, Fake Excuses
Also, a lot of Microsoft's "revenue" claims are circular financing (i.e. Microsoft buying from itself, which means Ponzi-like fraud)
Slopwatch: LinuxSecurity, linuxconfig.org, and Plagiarised Phoronix
Many articles out there are nowadays fake
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, September 19, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, September 19, 2025
Gemini Links 20/09/2025: Navigating the Pressures of Modern Life and SpellBinding Accidentally Wrote Another Gemini Server
Links for the day