Few businesses can operate without using a computer, and computers need software to operate. Does it still make sense to cut corners by using pirated software?
Consider the following figures:
1,962 – the number of raids made by the Philippine Anti-Piracy Team
3.3 million – optical disks seized in the raids
P876 million – estimated street value of optical disks seized
206 – computers seized as of November last year
15 – sacks of pirated CDs of software valued at P14.3 million seized
The team claims its campaign will affect both small and big businesses. I checked with a few big corporations this month and it seems that their IT teams have begun the purges in earnest last year. They can well afford to lose computers and CDs, but damaged reputations will take a lot more time to repair. Small businesses are the ones that can get really hurt if caught.
I didn’t care about piracy before. I loved buying pirated CDs and displayed them as trophies of being “smart.” But having worked with publishing firms lately opens your eyes to the perils of piracy like nothing else can. ☺ Besides, Microsoft and other firms have knocked down their prices and buying licensed software might be better than losing your entire computer, plus paying fines.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Thanks for this. Article who your writen was so important for me. Thanks again
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:54 am
i just heard that one of the cisco expats cannot leave the philippines because of a hold departure order.
the cisco officer stated that the routers of a certain distributor were counterfeit, had NBI raid the offices, confiscate the equipment and publish the name of the cisco distributor in the paper besmirching their reputation. unfortunately the gear was real, just imported from Hong Kong and not from the cisco office in singapore. so the injured company sued for damages, libel, perjury, malicious mischief etc.
while i don’t advocate piracy, the software companies should not act like imperialistic colonial masters. give us more affordable software options such as discounted prices for older versions, menu in tagalog, so it can’t be resold in the US or Canada. we are a 3rd world nation trying to make a living. don’t gouge us with high software costs so you can spend more feeding your pets than what it takes to feed a whole filipino family.
all the US weapons and trillions of dollars can’t even catch a lame arab on a horse. filipinos are not your lap dogs, we can bite back.
January 31st, 2008 at 4:24 am
i have to disagree with the know about. there is no record in philippine jurisprudence of a conviction for use of 2nd hand software.
even under US law, if you buy a nominal piece of hardware with the software, there is no violation.
if you know of a valid conviction, please cite the case. to my knowledge all raids were due to outright piracy (no license at all), or multiple illegal copies (licenses less than actual number of installations). in many cases BSA could not even proceed with prosecution because of the incompetence of the raiding team. the idiots from NBI stole the expensive computers with the pirated software in the warehouse and substituted them with cheaper ones. raids were made based on search warrants issued on the basis of sworn statements of disgruntled employees who had an axe to grind with their employers.
other firms agreed to settle without prosecution, because the value of confiscated computers was greater than the fine and wanted to get their computers back before NBI steals them.
you have to be a real microsoft lap dog to believe the story about copying the microsoft stickers. microsoft uses 3D hologram technology which even the pirates from China cannot copy perfectly. furthermore microsoft has sophisticated code generation algorithms to track the validation code when genuine windows advantage process is run at boot up or when loading updates. the court can subpoena microsoft executives or software experts to testify that the stickers are genuine.
lastly in recent cases where the 2nd hand software licenses were valid, the raiding team were charged and sued. the complaints were settled due to death threats, house-casing and drive bys, arbitrary questioning by the NBI agents and their police friends. and of course because NBI agents returned the stolen computers they gave to their relatives, complete with pirated games their kids installed.
i choose to not have to put up with the threat of raids and advocate open source software like Ubuntu and open office over windows and microsoft office. software piracy is still theft. use pirated software at your own risk. buying 2nd hand software us like buying a 2nd hand goods and is good to the environment since you can reuse old slower machines rather than have them go to landfills. use open source software when you can.
Click to see these cool pictures and make them screen savers:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y13/BassistOfTheFall/WindowsInstall.jpg
http://news.architel.com/wp-content/images/sucks1.jpg
January 31st, 2008 at 4:20 am
i have to disagree with the know about. there is no record in philippine jurisprudence of a conviction for use of 2nd hand software.
even under US law, if you buy a nominal piece of hardware with the software, there is no violation.
if you know of a valid conviction, please cite the case. to my knowledge all raids were due to outright piracy (no license at all), or multiple illegal copies (licenses less than actual number of installations). in many cases BSA could not even proceed with prosecution because of the incompetence of the raiding team. the idiots from NBI stole the expensive computers with the pirated software in the warehouse and substituted them with cheaper ones. raids were made based on search warrants issued on the basis of sworn statements of disgruntled employees who had an axe to grind with their employers.
other firms agreed to settle without prosecution, because the value of confiscated computers was greater than the fine and wanted to get their computers back before NBI steals them.
you have to be a real microsoft lap dog to believe the story about copying the microsoft stickers. microsoft uses 3D hologram technology which even the pirates from China cannot copy perfectly. furthermore microsoft has sophisticated code generation algorithms to track the validation code when genuine windows advantage process is run at boot up or when loading updates. the court can subpoena microsoft executives or software experts to testify that the stickers are genuine.
lastly in recent cases where the 2nd hand software licenses were valid, the raiding team were charged and sued. the complaints were settled due to death threats, house-casing and drive bys, arbitrary questioning by the NBI agents and their police friends. and of course because NBI agents returned the stolen computers they gave to their relatives, complete with pirated games their kids installed.
i choose to not have to put up with the threat of raids and advocate open source software like Ubuntu and open office over windows and microsoft office. software piracy is still theft. use pirated software at your own risk. buying 2nd hand software us like buying a 2nd hand goods and is good to the environment since you can reuse old slower machines rather than have them go to landfills. use open source software when you can.
Click to see these cool pictures and make them screen savers:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y13/BassistOfTheFall/WindowsInstall.jpg
also
http://news.architel.com/wp-content/images/sucks1.jpg
January 28th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
Captain Hook, Software licenses are issued on a per company basis. Licenses cannot be resold or donated to another company of different incorporators. Buying a second hand Autodesk or Microsoft software is infringement of the software EULA. Software are not sold for the value of the media, but rather the cost of the right to use the software. And also Microsoft stickers can easily be replicated and will not stand against the court. The proper contest to sofware piracy charges are the original vendor invoices.