Riyadh: The Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information has recently confiscated more than 38,000 pirated CDs from illegal street vendors as part of a comprehensive anti-piracy crackdown throughout the streets of Riyadh, KSA.

The campaign, which involved Riyadh police Secretariat of Al Riyadh Region, initially focused on the Olaya market area but later on extended to Haraj Bin Gassem, south of Riyadh.

The street vendors were extensively questioned by the authorities to find out their sources for the seized CDs, which contained movies and games that violate copyright laws.

They were later on asked to sign commitments not to repeat their violation.

Vehicles used as a storage and pickup points for pirated CDs were seized as well mid-way into the offensive.

Similar initiatives are being planned by the government to uphold copyright laws and establish a fair environment especially for major IPR-reliant businesses such as Pay TV, motion pictures, computer gaming.

The annual KSA market for counterfeit products currently stands at around USD 4 billion, reflecting a large market that has become major attraction to counterfeiters.

The government is thus closely coordinating with organizations such as AAA to educate the public and businesses on the serious economic, legal and social consequences of copyright crimes.