NBI nets P5M worth of computers in anti-piracy raid

By Erwin Lemuel Oliva
INQ7.net

THE NATIONAL Bureau of Investigations (NBI) has confiscated about five million pesos worth of computer hardware from at least five computer shops in the SM City Cyberzone in Quezon City following a raid on Friday, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.

Computer shops raided were Green Lakes Computer Center, Great Lakes Computer Center, Dynamic Ultra Tech, Save on Surplus, and Computer & Options, according to Bienvenido Marquez, legal counsel of Microsoft.

About 50 computers were confiscated by local authorities, he said.

The computer shops will face charges of copyright infringement under the Intellectual Property Code, according to Marquez.

The raid took place following the issuance of a search warrant by Judge Hilario Laqui of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court, Marquez said.

The case will be endorsed to the legal department of the NBI before it can be brought before the Department of Justice, Marquez said.

The raid was conducted by the Intellectual Property division of NBI.

If convicted, the shop owners face imprisonment of one to three years, the Intellectual Property Code states.

The shops were found to have been installing illegal copies of Microsoft software and operating system in computers they sold, Marquez alleged.