Do a raid a la BF

The total value of counterfeits seized by government regulatory agencies as of September this year has reached an alarming P2.4 billion.

Name it and they have it – fake Energizer batteries, Fundador brandy, Winston and Marlboro cigarettes, Philips lamps, Ford spare parts, Epson toners, Pioneer Epoxy adhesives, HP and Canon ink cartridges, Sanrio products, Stolichnaya vodka, Levi’s jeans, Nike products, Mongol pencils, Procter and Gamble soaps and shampoos, Hush Puppies shoes, Gillette blades, and many more. Cite any imported apparel and bag brand (Gucci, Guess, Tommy Hilfiger, Cartier) and they have imitated it.

The Brand Protection Association, headed by Peter Wallace, says that as much as 30 percent of the market is lost to fakes, many of which come from China. The pharmaceuticals industry claims that there is a 30-percent fake drug penetration rate, but this includes genuine products brought in illegally. A Roche official revealed that one of their best selling antibiotic brands has been faked, and these fakes are being sold in small drugstores. The software industry has reported losses of P1.2 billion with a 63-percent penetration rate last year while the audio-video industry has lost P7.25 billion to pirated copies.

Aware of the fact that numerous raids and no convictions have been made to date, the group is now calling on the public to stop patronizing fake items, saying that those who buy these items are immoral (ouch!) and are helping thieves.

Personally, appealing to people’s sentiments is a big waste of time, especially when the price between an original DVD or VCD movie and a pirated copy or between an original and first-class imitation Louis Vuitton bag (more in the case of third-class fakes) is so huge. Unlike fake medicines or illegally refilled LPG tanks, nobody dies from using a pirated VCD. And many of those who buy these fakes are blue-collar workers.

The only way really is to pound on government authorities to do their jobs well. Just look at the Greenhills shopping arcade - the mecca of fake items. The counterfeits are all there on display year in, year out. They can probably do a Bayani Fernando act and confiscate and burn these items, even without a warrant. Just to stress a point.

Who’s calling the shots

Our local cable television industry is, sad to say, at the mercy of foreign program content providers.

When Sky Cable and Home Cable refused to abide by the terms and conditions being set by the Star Group (which distributes ESPN, Star Sports, Star Movies, Star World, National Geographic, and 12 other cable channels), the group pulled the plug on Sky and Home around Oct. of last year. As a result, many Sky and Home subscribers migrated to Destiny Cable which at that time continued to offer the Star channels even with the exhorbitant prices being imposed by Star.

This time, it’s Destiny’s turn. Without offering an explanation, the Star Group terminated the transmission of these five major cable channel effective midnight of Oct. 14. Expect die-hard sports fanatics, who are awaiting the NBA, Major League Baseball, and NFL world series, to immediately shift to Sky or Home.

Despite what Sky, Home, and Destiny might say, there is no loyalty among cable subscribers. Whoever can offer the best content will win the customers. Unfortunately, those who will decide to migrate away from Destiny will again have to pay for installation fees to their new cable TV service provider.

Indeed, the cable TV industry business model has changed. It is the content provider who decides which cable company lives and which should die. And the constitution was supposed to protect the broadcast/cable industries from foreign influence when its framers provided that these industries should be 100 percent Filipino-owned.

The Star Group does not pay any taxes nor any other fees to the Philippine government. In fact, it has no regard whatsoever to the authorities. It shrugged off orders issued by the National Telecommunications Commission for it to continue transmitting these five channels to Destiny. It did not even respond to NTC’s letter. Are these the kind of foreigners that we want doing business in this country?

XP what?

Shifting from one Windows version to another is not easy, especially when you have been used to one.

After using Windows ME (millenium edition) for a year, a friend asked me to try out the latest, which is Windows XP, and promised me that it would be a lot better. What is there to lose and everything to gain, so I tried it.

Upgrading to a new software version is not always easy. But upgrading to Windows XP proved to be a smooth, painless process. The Easy Setup wizard took at most just six minutes, making the user ready for more of the software sooner than expected.

The first thing that one notices upon installing XP is the new, clean desktop design with more appealing visual cues and icons. Much of the clutter has been taken out. And who wouldn’t enjoy personalizing his welcome screen? But there’s more beyond the surface since this sleek, more understandable interface gives exactly what it shows: easier usage, less complications.

But there’s more to the pretty face. XP brings together, and improves on, the best features of its two predecessors: the user-friendliness of Windows ME and the reliability and stability of Windows 2000. This means that XP is more resilient to program crashes.

The Windows XP Home Edition responds well to the diverse requirements of every family member sharing one computer. Faster user switching is ideal for a single computer used by a lot of people with different needs. One user can access his account or his files without having to close another user’s programs.

The improved Windows Media Player, Movie Maker, and My Pictures provide better organization of media files such as music, photos and video clips. Users will also enjoy being able to apply more creativity into their work.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 gets you into the net faster and better. The new and enhanced features simplify daily tasks while maintaining the privacy of personal information on the web. And while we’re talking about keeping connected, Windows Messenger provides an easy way to communicate with friends, family and partners in real time by text, phone or video.

If there is one thing that Windows XP aims to accomplish, it is to revolutionize the way people use and work on their computers – be it for professional or for personal purposes. It is getting more work done with higher creativity and less time figuring out the system itself. It means more productive hours, greater confidence on an industry-tested stability, faster communication and innovative output limited only by your imagination.

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