Pirates of the Arabian

Almost every office I've worked in has used hooky software, the building here is happy to allow Chinese DVD hawkers to go door to door, and holidaymakers include trips to Karama on their itinerary (my Christmas guest bought four handbags, one watch and a purse). I have friends here who are first name terms with their supplier of fakes, one recently had an order of Paul Smith shirts knocked up for less than 70ds (full retail price: 700ds). And they weren't bad.

The UAE claims to stringent laws have kept piracy and counterfeiting under control. "While it is a serious matter in the entire Middle East it is not so serious here due to stringent measures and tough laws introduced since the mid-1990s," Mohammed bin Abdul Aziz Al Shihhi, Planning Sector Undersecretary, tells Emirates Business. "The UAE takes the issue very seriously as it is directly linked to foreign investment."

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Class, not exclusivity, for sale

One of the major, modern headaches of ambitious brand owners is how far to take the brand. Pressure on revenue says roll out the brand into new territories (or categories); protecting what you have says don't dilute the magic.

Starbucks is in the middle of such a headache, Fast Moving Consumer Goods giants such as Unilever and Proctor & Gamble face it every day. Right now, the Louvre, icon of France and Paris' star museum, must be having its own internal wrangle.

The museum inked the latest stage in its deal to open a Louvre Abu Dhabi. There are $525m-worth of good reasons why France-Museums made the 30-year deal; the question now is how far do they take this roll out? Can we expect Louvre Rio, Louvre Cape Town or Louvre Auckland?

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When bureaucrats meet business

As Kuwait's banking community tells its country's lawmakers to stop meddling in monetary policy, Saudi's Shoura Council is stepping up its interference in small business issues. An incredibly detailed new law, awaiting Council of Ministers' approval, plans to govern the summer opening times of sheesha outlets, decide when highway food stops must close, and the winter hours of amusement arcades.

The Shoura Council says the law is the result of two years of research and study. It reiterates that all shops should be closed during prayer times, regardless of the season.

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New media, old habits

Authorities yesterday finally allowed a family member to meet detained Saudi blogger Fouad Al-Farhan in prison, Arab News reports. Al-Farhan's father-in-law met him for one hour inside at Jeddah's Dahban Prison where the Saudi blogger has been held for the past 27 days.

The 32-year-old Jeddah-based, the first Saudi blogger to use his real name, has been interrogated for 15 minutes every day since his arrest. The authorities have not explained the reason for his detention, other than to say he violated "non-security regulations".

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