Authors of copyright works and holders of neighboring rights enjoy protection under the UAE Federal Law No. 7 of 2002 Concerning Copyrights and Neighboring Rights (the "UAE Copyright Law"). In line with the laws of most countries, protection is provided to authors of works, which include literary works, computer software, databases, lectures/speeches, plays, musical works, plans, drawings, paintings, sculptures, photographic works, broadcasting and other intellectual works.

In fact, using, copying and downloading software, downloading materials from websites on the internet or distributing any material in any manner, for any purpose, commercial or personal, without the author's written permission, constitutes copyright infringement - with limited exceptions.

However, the growth of the internet has increased the problem of copyright infringement in most countries as duplication of copyrighted material from the internet is easy and quick, be it through copying and pasting a paragraph or article, or downloading a song or music, for example.

Nowadays, it is common for authors to find their articles copied on many websites, for software developers to find their software available for free, and for singers to find their songs available on video sharing websites (even though theses websites have copyright notices to warn users not to post any episodes, songs, advertisements, TV shows etc., without obtaining permission from the creator of the work or being the creator of the work itself).

Wondering why authors and creators of copyrighted work use the internet? Authors or copyright owners cannot avoid such a network that makes the universe so small and allows their names and works to become so popular in the short term. This technology gives great opportunities to the creator of copyright works, and can therefore not be avoided. The question that arises here is: how can one protect one's rights as a copyright creator from the potential digital infringements?

In order to identify whether or not your article has been copied, a simple search via the Google search engine may produce results. There are also new services that check for duplicated content online, such as Copyscape and TurnItIn. These companies can be retained by copyright owners to identify individuals who are copying their copyright works and making it available for download on the internet.

Once you have information about the websites which contain the infringed materials, you can search through whois (the protocol that used for querying databases and information of domain names and IP addresses), and once you find the details you can send the infringer a notice, requesting the infringer to cease and desist from infringing your rights. (It is always recommended that you provide the infringer with a deadline to comply with your request and stop infringing your rights.) You can also write to the Internet Service Provider ("ISP") that hosts the infringing website and demand that the ISP take down your work.

When the copyright owner proves his ownership, most websites tend to comply with cease and desist letters by removing the infringing material (as such material is usually posted by third parties).

The UAE Copyright Law, like the laws of most other nations, protects copyright works regardless of whether the work is registered or not, and irrespective of whether or not it has a copyright notice.

Copyright owners can prevent anyone else from infringing their work by bringing an infringement action before a civil court. The UAE Copyright Law also provides for criminal penalties for infringement of copyright in the form of fines and, in some cases, imprisonment.

In the end, it the responsibility of copyright owners to protect their work and hence they should invest time in tracking down the infringers and then take appropriate action through their attorneys.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.