Government intensifies campaign against software piracy

IPOPHIL head Ricardo Blancaflor speaks before the media and PAPT member agencies during their launch of a campaign against software piracy Thursday. Photo Courtesy of Perceptions Inc.

MANILA, Philippines – The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHIL) has renewed its campaign against software piracy with an educational drive that aims to teach companies the benefits of using original software and the risks of using pirated software.

“The IPOPHL saw the need to come up with this initiative to educate businesses on the benefits to be derived from using licensed software and the risks from using pirated ones, which many of them do not yet seem to realize,” IPOPHL Director General Ricardo Blancaflor said during their launch Thursday.

“From the constant 69% from 2008-2010, the Philippines’ software piracy rate rose to 70% in 2011. This translates to 7 out of 10 computers in the country contain unlicensed software,” IPOPHIL said in their statement.

Business establishments and companies will be given 30 days before they are inspected by IPOPHIL to check if they are using original licensed software. Companies that comply with IPOPHIL will be certified while those who fail to comply will be investigated further.

“The importance of using licensed software and the dangers of utilizing illegal software will be highlighted in each visit. We believe it is important to highlight not just the advantages of utilizing legal software, but also the importance of protecting the intellectual property rights of its creators,” Blancaflor said.

The Business Software Alliance, represented by Lawyer Bienvenido Marquez, expressed support for IPOPHIL’s educational drive.

“We are pleased that our government, through the IPOPHL, has come up with this initiative to raise awareness on the need for companies to use only licensed software,” Marquez said.

“Establishments using illegal software put their businesses at risks as pirated software is prone to malware and other viruses. Worse, while these violators are unduly profiting from the intellectual property of the copyright owners, the Philippine economy suffers from revenue losses in the IT industry, not to mention the lower tax collections for the government and decreased job opportunities in the country,” he added.

IPOPHIL has been a member of the Pilipinas Anti-Piracy Team (PAPT) since 2011 to strengthen their campaign against software piracy. PAPT is composed of the National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine National Police, and the Optical Media Board.