Israel, under pressure from the US and Europe, is working to draft legislation that will help in the fight against software piracy. Estimates suggest that 69% of programs on the Israeli market are not originals, compared with 23% on the US market. Israel accounts for $77m of the worldwide losses incurred from software piracy which stand at $11.2bn according to Jeffrey Steinhardt, Microsoft VP for anti-piracy operations in the Middle East, Africa and the Mediterranean. US diplomats have warned Israel that unless it acts to fight piracy more seriously it will consider classifying Israel as a country that is relatively inactive in maintaining copyright protection. The threat of sanctions has pushed the Ministry of Industry and Trade to act and the Ministry of Justice is currently drafting legislation that will probably become a new copyright bill. The new bill will include sections to strengthen civil and criminal enforcement.
