By Taylor Luck

AMMAN - Nearly 500 intellectual property rights (IPR) violations have been referred to the courts this year, as authorities look to crack down on the latest forms of software and satellite piracy.

The National Library Department (NLD), the country’s top authority tasked with safeguarding IPR, has referred 483 cases to the prosecutor general in the first 10 months of this year, NLD President Mamoun Talhouni told The Jordan Times on Sunday.

As of early November, the department has carried out 1,900 raids on vendors, coffee shops and electronics stores in Amman, Zarqa, Irbid and Aqaba for selling and airing content in violation of the Jordanian Copyright Law, he added.

“The NLD is making necessary arrangements to prevent the illegal airing of satellite channels and is taking necessary steps to ensure that violators face justice for infringing on others’ rights,” he stressed.

Several fines and imprisonments have been handed down this year for the sale of pirated DVDs, software, hardware and books, as well as the hijacking of satellite network signals, Talhouni indicated.

“We want to send out the message that you cannot escape the law,” he said.

The Jordanian Copyright Law stipulates that it is a crime to download software, music or movies that are protected under the legislation.

Offenders face a prison sentence of between three months and three years and a fine ranging from JD1,000 to JD6,000.

A total of 2,830 cases of IPR violations have been referred to the courts since 2000, with dozens of convictions, according to the department.