If you haven’t heard the news, 6 Power Mac Center branches were raided by the NBI for allegedly downloading/using illegal copies of digital music. An active discussion is on-going on this matter in Apple-centric forums such as Podcentral and Philmug. While various opinions are being raised as to the validity and underlying intent of the operation, the whole fiasco of such a renowned establishment being bannered on television and being branded as a criminal has gotten the attention of local tech groups. A statement coming from the owners of Power Mac Center is yet to be released and those loyal to the Apple brand are waiting with much anticipation. Whether the whole raid was legit or not, it just goes to show that, in one way or another, the local authorities are slowly cracking down on the illegal trade of digital content.

Unfortunately, the lack of a direct means of purchasing online music to our country makes it an arduous task for both officials and owners to verify the legitimacy of downloaded content. Thus, almost all digital forms of music may be considered illegal. This, in turn, raises the question, if the law is now being enforced on the crack-down on illegal music downloading and distribution, should online music distribution companies such as Apple/iTunes rethink their stand on opening their services in our country?