Two civil suits have settled out of court and appeal courts have ruled in favor of the software companies in four criminal cases. Sherin El Rayes, BSA's chairman in Egypt noted that the legal action is already having a deterrent effect. BSA's lawyer in Egypt, Mohammed El-Berry said the letters to the 100 companies were the first stage in a process which could end in prosecution. The letters will alert them to the existence of illegal software in their companies, because executives may not be aware of this, and ask them to do something about it. Egypt does have copyright laws on its books.
Second offenders receive mandatory imprisonment.
As Egypt moves forward with its reforms, it has been faced with some difficult decisions. The fact that domestic producers are becoming vulnerable to foreign imports and that an international lobbying agency can find legal recourse against IPR violators in Egypt, implies that Egypt's economy is opening up.