A two-day exhibition of U. S. computer and information technology has underlined the dire need for Jordan to press ahead with updating laws on intellectual property rights (IPR) to attract more foreign investment. Thirty-eight Jordanian dealers and distributors of American computer firms participated in the American Embassy's 7th Annual Computer Show.
Ironically, one of the participating companies in the exhibition is a local agency of a U.S. computer firm which sells pirate software copies alongside original ones. Jordan's failure to modernize IP laws is hindering its access to the Geneva-based World Trade Organization (WTO).
The government , in the process of making its trademark and patent laws consistent with WTO agreements on intellectual property rights, expects Jordan to join the organization by the year 2000.
Several local lawyers, including one representing U. S. computer giant Microsoft, have recently sent letters to every computer and IT dealer in Jordan requesting that they not "preload" software on hard discs free of charge.