For selling pirated software: American, pal fall to the NBI

The government scored another victory in its uphill battle against software piracy Thursday night with the arrest of an American national and his Filipino business partner at Barangay Lorega-San Miguel.

National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents arrested Kevin Cunningham, 42, and Rommel Ocareza, 25, in an entrapment operation for selling pirated computer software. Seized from them were P9 million worth of illegal software.

NBI-7 regional director Medardo Delemos said, Cunningham, who is temporarily staying at Cabreros Street in Barangay Basak-San Nicolas, and Ocareza, from Urgello Street, were charged with violation of the Intellectual Property Rights Law and estafa before the Cebu City Prosecutors Office yesterday afternoon.

However, the suspects have decided to sign a waiver of detention, meaning both of them agreed to remain at the NBI office pending the resolution of their case because they asked that for a preliminary investigation to be conducted first by the government prosecutors.

Delemos said, prior to the entrapment operations, his office received a complaint from a private firm, who discovered that the software sold by the suspects were not genuine.

It prompted the NBI agents to coordinate with Microsoft Corporation, which quickly sent one of its representatives here to help set up an entrapment operation.

The NBI agents contacted the suspects and pretended to buy several kinds of computer software. They agreed that the suspects would deliver the products to an Internet Cafe in Lorega-San Miguel.

When the suspects arrived at the designated place, the NBI agents and the representatives from the Microsoft immediately inspected the software.

When it was confirmed that these were not genuine, the NBI agents immediately arrested the suspects.