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.
January 27th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
well, i’m not advocating piracy since it’s not good for the economics of one country also.
maybe, just maybe the government would give some incentives to the small enterpreneurs who would like to venture into those kind of businesses.
anyway, it’s good to know. at least there is a second hand store that offers also softwares like that, even if it is on a lower version thought.
maybe somebody from our good congress representatives think of something to develop small businesses.
thank you
January 26th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
well, i’m not saying that i am advocating piracy here. what i’m pointing is that its exhorbitant costs of acquiring those softwares in which the government should maybe do something about. maybe just give some small business incentives for those who buys those original softwares.
but as captain hook said, there’s always the secondhand store just in case someone’s is on a budget. It’s also good to know that there is a store like that offering those softwares at low prices although lower versions of the original vendor softwares.
bureaucracy is at its best with regards to mr john limjap’s comments. because some of the anti-piracy officials and their staffs are in cahoots with some businessmen. Otherwise, they have raided all the offices in makati and ortigas areas for software piracy…with their record of only 1,962 offices raided last year…i doubt it will have an effect….there’s more than a hundred thousand offices operating in makati and ortigas alone and 1,962 doesn’t count yet as a population to solve those anti-piracy campaign.
well, as my mentor once said :
“it’s not what you know, it’s Whom you know!!!”
and i think it’s true nowadays especially in the country….applicable to many.
January 26th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
ALL OF YOU GUYS WERE RIGHT! YOU WERE PRETTY GOOD! BECAUSE YOU HAVE SUITABLE AND HELPFUL IDEAS! ANYHOW, IF YOU WERE ASK ME, I WILL USE PIRATED SOFTWARE STILL, THE MAIN REASON IS NOT THE COST OR THE BRAND OF THE SOFTWARE WE ARE USING BUT THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM IN OUR COUNTRY THE BUREAUCRACY. WE HAVE TOO MANY GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TO FIGHT FOR PIRATED SOFTWARE, LIKE, PNP, NBI, BSA…ETC. I DON’T THINK THEY ARE SERIOUS WITH THEIR JOBS IT’S ALL ABOUT MONEY. TSK. TSK. TSK…DID YOU GET THE IDEA!?
HOW COULD YOU BE FAIR IF THE GOVERNMENT ITSELF IS NOT FAIR.
January 24th, 2008 at 10:27 am
jay lim,
Then you have to match the customer expectation with the cost of original software. If a single license of Adobe Photoshop costs 60,000, charge your clients who demand works that can only be produced with Photoshop a commensurate fee!
Certainly 60,000 pesos is much, much cheaper than litigation and recovery costs when the BSA and NBI raids your company.
Captian hook’s suggestion to purchase 2nd hand software is, likewise, a good idea. Just make sure all the material are intact.
January 24th, 2008 at 5:18 am
the authors of the software programs spend many expensive man-hours developing those programs to make them “user-friendly”. it is only reasonable for them to expect fair compensation for their work. how would you feel if your engineering studies and cad templates, drawings were sold to other people by former employees at 10% of your price? how does it feel to spend 2 years training employees and have them pirated by a competitor who pays 30% more just to cripple you? running a business and keeping costs down is a balancing act. but you must be legal. if you want all the advanced user friendly options you have to pay for them. you have to weigh the lost man-hours due to inconvenience of using freeware against the cost of commercial software.
but again we’re a third world country with a low standard of living and should not have to pay first world rates.
so what is an entrepreneur to do?
welcome to the world of second hand software!
go to HMR, buy 2nd hand computers with genuine microsoft license stickers. despite BSA’s claims to the contrary Philippine law does not restrict use of 2nd hand software as long as you have proof of ownership such as original installation cd/dvd and certificates of authenticity for all your machines. large companies resell their old software also. 2nd hand autocad 2007 is available for P10,000 or less and autocad 2000 for P1,500. you can use cad freeware or autocad 2000 for your junior staff to create elements and basic templates and keep 1 or 2 copies of 2nd hand autocad 2007 for yourself and senior draftsman for the specialized details. i hope this advice helps.