OMB curbs RP software pirates

THE Philippines bucked the three percent worldwide increase in the piracy rate of PC software last year and registered a decline instead as a result of the intensive anti-piracy campaign waged by the Optical Media Board and other law enforcement agencies against the illegal trade in software products.

This was one highlight of a study conducted by global software industry group Business Software Alliance in cooperation with International Data Corporation, an information technology research and consultancy firm.

Based on the 3 percent worldwide increase, PC software piracy in the Philippines should have grown to 74 percent in 2007 as against the 71 percent of 2006. The country reversed this trend however, as piracy actually dropped to 69 percent.

“We are happy to see this reduction,” said Jeffrey Hardee, BSA vice president and regional director for Asia Pacific, who credits the piracy reduction to the Pilipinas Anti-Piracy team composed of the OMB, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Criminal Investigation Group-Anti-Fraud and Commercial Crimes Division of the Philippine National Police.

The OMB, which is headed by Eduardo B. Manzano, accounted for 443 or 77 percent, of the combined total of 573 raids conducted by the three agencies last year. Journal online