Regulator says expertise needed to better prevent software piracy in PHL
GOVERNMENT software piracy inspectors will need additional technical knowledge to assess firms that potentially breach licensing rules, the Optical Media Board (OMB) said.
“If the enforcement arm of the government is to go after these so-called pirates or counterfeiters, we have to be at par with them in terms of their technical know-how,” OMB Legal Division Chief Cyrus Paul S. Valenzuela said at a press briefing on Wednesday.
“We can always check their computers, but in terms of technical know-how, most of the time their IT guy would know better than us.”
Mr. Valenzuela said OMB needs help from software developers to support inspection measures.
Software Alliance Asia-Pacific Senior Director Tarun Sawney said violators find “ingenious ways” of hiding unlicensed software.
Software Alliance (known as BSA) recently launched a campaign to reach out to 5,000 Philippine firms, mostly in the engineering and design sectors, to promote software licensing through consultations and advisory services.
The global software advocacy organization estimates that there are still 100,000 design and engineering companies using unlicensed software in Southeast Asia. In partnership with software company Autodesk, Inc., the campaign aims to reach a total of 20,000 firms in the region.
This “Legalize and Protect” initiative continues a licensing campaign initially launched in 2019.
The organization last year also rolled out online consultation sessions on legal software use as part of its goal of helping 10,000 Philippine companies convert to licensed products. BSA had noted a spike in cybersecurity attacks during the pandemic, part of which is caused by device vulnerabilities from illegal software use.
“It was fairly successful,” Mr. Sawney said, but he did not share the number of firms BSA helped convert to licensed products.
BSA is a Washington, DC-based trade group representing software companies worldwide. — Jenina P. Ibañez