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Saturday, November 24, 2007
Raid on pirated discs turn out as no-surprise operation
CEBU CITY -- A team from the Optical Media Board (OMB) is in Cebu to conduct weeklong operations against all forms of piracy.
But their campaign got off to a slow start.
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The assembly time was set at 9 a.m. Friday at a restaurant in uptown Cebu City, but the team had to wait for some members to arrive from their hotel.
They had breakfast at Starbucks. About two hours after the schedule, the OMB team held a briefing.
This might have given stall owners of pirated discs time to close shop and keep their merchandise.
The OMB team checked three business establishments at the Cebu Business Park and seized displayed pirated DVDs from several stalls in Lapu-Lapu City.
Executive Director Resty Meneses said the OMB is authorized to “conduct unannounced inspections and take preventive custody of offending materials,” provided they have inspection orders from the chairman or executive director of the bureau.
Meneses briefed his personnel before the inspections began.
The team inspected three business establishments inside the Ayala FGU Center and learned that all three had licenses for their software.
The OMB agents said all computers using Microsoft software needed a certificate of authenticity, software license and the software installer itself.
Meneses explained that one installer is needed for each computer unit using the software.
Initially, they seized two central processing units from Genetic Computer Institute at the 15th floor after acting manager Jonathan Coligado failed to show them the needed licenses.
Coligado appeared surprised, saying it was Ng Khai Development that provided them the software.
He made several calls to Ng Khai and to his boss inquiring about the licenses and appealed to the agents to give him time, saying the software was already purchased before he was employed by the company.
“I need time to look for these. They are in such a hurry,” he told reporters.
Meneses said he needed the two samples so that if the company could not produce the licenses in time, they will file a case against the owners of the company.
About an hour later, OMB agents returned the central processing units (CPUs) after Coligado found a folder with the licenses, prompting the OMB to release the CPUs.
Meneses said that Genetic Computer Institute and the two other companies they inspected, Smartware System Inc. and Ricor Mills Corp., would get a certification of clearance from the OMB that will protect the interests of the owners.
After the visit to the three businesses at the Ayala FGU Center, they proceeded to Sitio Tamiya, Barangay Basak, Lapu-Lapu City and emptied around five stalls selling pirated DVDs and audio CDs.
Some of the stalls had been closed. Asked if they had been forewarned, the neighboring stall keepers were mum.
But one of the stall keepers became emotional, saying the OMB should make sure there are no more pirated items for sale in Manila before coming to Cebu.
“Panginabuhi ra man ni amo. Mas maayo pa ug kani among baligya kaysa anang shabu nga makadaot (We are only trying to earn a living. Besides, it’s better we sell DVDs rather than illegal drugs),” she lamented.
She said DVD vendors in Manila are wholesalers while they are mere retailers.
“Hutda usa na didto bag-o sila muari (They should raid all the stalls in Manila before coming here),” she said.
The OMB agents did not spare any stall, taking with them the television sets, DVD players and speakers used to test the items. (MEA of Sun.Star Cebu)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. (November 24, 2007 issue)
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