DOJ urges NBI to step up drive vs. piracy

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez has directed the operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation to strengthen the campaign against intellectual property piracy and to assist government prosecutors in going after culprits with the help of the Anti-Piracy Task Force on Intellectual Property Rights, a special unit the DOJ has created, headed by assistant chief state prosecutor Leah Armamento.

Gonzalez' order to strengthen the drive in stamping out piracy, which he said is an anomaly in today's keenly crafted technology, came after it was observed that until now the rampant sale of pirated compact discs continues throughout Cebu City despite a declared war versus infringement on registered trademarks and products.

Record shows that as of April this year, 393 criminal cases involving Intellectual Property Rights violation have been filed with the various courts, including 66 cases lodged with the Special Commercial Courts tasked to hear IPR violations.

Two weeks ago, the NBI agents arrested an American citizen and his Filipino business partner for selling pirated computer software and seized from them illegally copied software estimated to cost around P9 million. The police reportedly did nothing about the proliferation of pirated video compact discs and computer software because the Videogram Regulatory Board did not give them the power to conduct operations against such.

Owners of movie houses in Cebu city had reportedly complained earlier that their income went down because of the proliferation of pirated VCD copies of movies that have yet to be shown in local cinemas. Pirated VCDs only cost P35, three pieces for P100 for videoke discs, and P60 for movies. - Rene U. Borromeo