GLOBAL software advocacy organization The Software Alliance (styled “BSA”) said it has reached an “encouraging response” at the halfway mark of its software legalization campaign among Philippine companies.

Philippine software legalization has come second to BSA’s Thailand campaign, and ahead of Vietnam and Indonesia, a statement from BSA on Tuesday said.

BSA reported that nearly 250 corporations across nine Philippine provinces have cooperated with software legalization so far, especially in companies in Metro Manila, Laguna, and Cebu.

They identified most participating companies to have come from the manufacturing, engineering, and industrial design industries.

The four-ASEAN nation Clean Up to the Countdown campaign was launched in September, as part of the Legalize and Protect campaign that began in March.

Since September, 1000 ASEAN corporations have made legitimate software purchases for 6000 PCs.

In the Philippines, BSA partnered with the Optical Media Board (OMB) and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) for the campaign.

BSA’s software legalization campaign ends in February 2020, after which the organization will issue reports for the use of the ASEAN governments.

“This campaign works in the Philippines because many corporations understand that software legalization is necessary, and it is better to be proactive than wait for a cyber crisis or legal consequences,” BSA Senior Director Tarun Sawney said.

“The Optical Media Board (OMB) also plays an important role in holding corporations accountable. We believe that most CEOs in the Philippines are aware of their responsibility to use legal software, and we expect many more to make certain their companies do so as our campaign continues.”

BSA said software legalization helps prevent cybersecurity damage, improve productivity, centralize license management, and reduce costs due to the flexibility of the subscription model.

Software piracy violates the IP code of the Philippines (Republic Act 8293) and the Optical Media Act (RA 9239), and could result in imprisonment, monetary penalties, or business closure.

“We like the progress we are seeing this year, but some CEOs will only clean up their companies when they face very significant pressure from government enforcement officials, so we will work with our partners in each government to bring appropriate action against CEOs whose corporations refuse to comply,” Mr. Sawney said. — Jenina P. Ibañez

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