3 Internet cafés raided for pirated PC software

A day after the formal launching of the Pilipinas Anti-Piracy Team to put a stop to the proliferation of piracy of computer software the group raided three Internet cafés for allegedly using unlicensed software rightfully owned by Microsoft Philippines, Inc. yesterday.

The PAPT’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Anti-Fraud and Commercial Crime Division seized 80 computers from Golden Circle, Top One Internet and Soft Touch Internet all are located along Junquera Street in barangay Kamagayan.

Aside from seizing the computers the team also arrested Raymund Soriano, Teodoro Bacalla, Mark Gil Ganate, Jocelyn Rafols and Jed Rafols who are the alleged owners and managers of the said Internet cafés.

A certain Henry Lyndon Leong Kee, the alleged owner of the Golden Circle was not around when the team raided the establishment.

The PAPT-CIDG accompanied by Peter Calimag, the legal counsel of Microsoft, were armed with a search warrant for violation of the Intellectual Property Rights issued by judge Reynaldo Tiros in Manila.

Calimag told reporters that piracy cost the company millions in losses and so with the government for the taxes it should have collected from them.

CIDG-7 regional chief Sr. Supt. Jorge Corpuz said they were acting on the complaint channeled through their website that these establishments are operating without licensed software.

‘The government means business in anti-piracy...we will file cases against the owner and the managers...this programs are produced in enormous cost hindi naman yan lumabas na parang bula,” said Corpuz.

Meanwhile, Chief Insp. Rex Derilo, one of the leaders of the raiding team said the three establishments were not members of the Internet Café Association of Cebu.

But Derilo clarified that it does not mean that membership in the ICAC means immunity from raids by PAPT, he said that they will still raid ICAC members if these are found using unlicensed software.

The PAPT have learned that there are more than 800 business permits issued to Internet cafés in the city but only 300 of them were under ICAC.  The ICAC, being one of the organizations helping the PAPT in stopping piracy in Cebu, is convincing its members to use only licensed software in their businesses.

Meanwhile, Kelly Piasidad, counsel of Golden Circle said they will contest the legality of the raid.

He decline to comment on the allegation of the PAPT about the unlicensed software used by his client claiming that he is not an expert to determine if those are pirated software.

The confiscated computers are now in custody of the CIDG-7 while the arrested individuals are to be indicted for violating the IPR Law.   — Edwin Ian Melecio/BRP