P4-M worth of computers seized in QC raid
MANILA - Law enforcers seized P4 million worth of computers during the recent raid against Top Ideas Food Corporation (TIFC) in San Jose Del Monte, Quezon City for using unlicensed and pirated copies of Adobe and Microsoft programs.
The Anti-Fraud and Commercial Crimes Division (AFCCD) of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) said they seized 89 computers at the TIFC office after receiving a complaint from the Business Software Alliance. A raid was conducted by virtue of the search warrants issued by the Manila Regional Trial Court for the company’s alleged violation of Republic Act 8293 or the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines.
“We would like to remind the public once again that software piracy is a crime and offenders of the law will not be spared from its legal consequences,” said Senior Superintendent Joel Orduña of the PNP-CIDG-AFCCD.
He added: “TIFC has its own intellectual property – the recipes. TIFC officers would definitely not be happy to know that their recipes are being copied by other restaurants, in the same manner that the software developers are disappointed that their products are used illegally in the operation of TIFC’s restaurants.”
TIFC is the holding company behind some of the popular restaurants in the country including Flavours of China, Tempura Japanese Grill, Holy Cow Steak Ranch and American Grill, Karate Kid Japanese Fastfood and Dezaato Pan Breads Sweets Café.
The use of unlicensed and pirated software is a violation of the Optical Media Law and the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines and is punishable by up to nine years imprisonment and a maximum fine of P1.5 million.
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I Agree!
Well said Denz and I agree!
Avoid Risk. Use Filipino Developed Software
You're a small Filipino company. Why chose Microsoft and other expensive software if you can't afford it. Those software are too expensive. And if you use pirate copies, BSA will come after you big time. Use the combination of UBUNTU (Linux) OS and OPEN OFFICE. These are free software. If you need help for your company with these software, there are many Filipino companies which can help at a very low cost. There are also hundreds of free lancers who can help you change over, develop applications customized for your company, and offer great training. If in the future your business becomes bigger and you can already afford Microsoft and other expensive software, then think again if you still need them. I doubt you will. So...DON'T RISK MILLIONS, DON'T PUT YOUR EMPLOYEES AT RISK, LOWER YOUR COST, SUPPORT FILIPINO SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS, AND HELP THE PHILIPPINES BECOME COMPETETIVE IN THE SOFTWARE BUSINESS. For more information... go to http://www.linux.org/groups/philippines.html