NBI raids 3 Internet cafes, seizes P10 M in computers

By RIZAL S. OBANIL, Manila Bulletin

Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) conducted simultaneous raids on three Internet cafes, leading to the seizure of some P10 million worth of computers recently in Manila, Mandaluyong, and Quezon City.

Raided were the branches of Expressions Center for Learning or Excel located at the 4th floor of SM Manila, Arroceros St., Manila; 2nd Floor, EDSA Central Pavilion Mall, Edsa Central Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City; and at the Food Court on the basement of Ali Mall, Araneta Center in Cubao.

The NBI Intellectual Property Rights Division (IPRD), headed by lawyer Jose Justo Yap, said the raids were conducted at around 12 noon of Thursday last week. Government agents confiscated 286 desktop computers loaded with fake soft-ware.

Yap said the raids were conducted following the end of a moratorium implemented by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) last Sept. 16.

He said this was the first time the NBI division conducted raids on Internet cafes after Microsoft, a member company of BSA, filed a complaint. He added that the three establishments raided were the biggest of the 44 branches which Excel has in the country.

There are 20 Excel Internet cafes located in Metro Manila while the remaining 24 branches are located in nearby provinces.

Yap said the computer software industry loses some P3.7 billion annually to piracy. He said this is because 71 percent of computer users in the country use pirated soft-ware.

Yap clarified that they have not conducted raids on Internet cafes before and that the simultaneous raids should serve as a warning to other shops.

Yap said the NBI raiders also confiscated software for Windows XP, Windows 98, Micro-soft Office, Windows Special Edition and Microsoft 2002 from the said establishments. Charges for violationg the Intellectual Property Rights Code, particularly for use of unlicensed software will be slapped against the owner of the establishments.