Annual harassment letter from "Pilipinas Anti Piracy"

**ghosthunter** · June 8th, 2010 05:03 PM

This is the letter that the "Pilipinas Anti Piracy Team" has sent our company this year. It has sent similar letters every year in the past few years.

I find it somewhere between irritating and somewhat harassing that it "mildly" threatens to give your company a potential search & seizure of your computers along with all your data simply because someone would (potentially falsely) report you use illegally acquired software.

BTW, all our office PCs use licensed/original MS Windows and to save money on other software, we use the free to download OpenOffice and other similar free softwares like AVG as well.

Another angle I find the letter irritating is it is being used by software companies (like Microsoft Philippines) to coerce companies to buy their expensive software.

**wowiesy** · June 8th, 2010 07:29 PM

Originally Posted by ghosthunter

This is the letter that the "Pilipinas Anti Piracy Team" has sent our company this year. It has sent similar letters every year in the past few years.

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...tiPiracy01.jpg

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...tiPiracy02.jpg

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/u...tiPiracy03.jpg

I find it somewhere between irritating and somewhat harassing that it "mildly" threatens to give your company a potential search & seizure of your computers along with all your data simply because someone would (potentially falsely) report you use illegally acquired software.

BTW, all our office PCs use licensed/original MS Windows and to save money on other software, we use the free to download OpenOffice and other similar free softwares like AVG as well.

Another angle I find the letter irritating is it is being used by software companies (like Microsoft Philippines) to coerce companies to buy their expensive software.

another reason why this thing sucks, is how the **ell* did they get their contact database in the first place?

search and seizure should always be with a valid search warrant...

however, on the other side.. quite a good "marketing" tool by the software companies that *i think* heavily supports this activity: Autodesk and Microsoft...

**ghosthunter** · June 8th, 2010 08:53 PM

Originally Posted by wowiesy

another reason why this thing sucks, is how the **ell* did they get their contact database in the first place?

simple... government records of business establishments.

however, on the other side.. quite a good "marketing" tool by the software companies that *i think* heavily supports this activity: Autodesk and Microsoft...

It is heavily supported by the bigger foreign software companies that donates "free" software (like windows) to various government agencies. The Pilipina Anti Piracy Team is the teeth of the formerly toothless BSA.

Do you know, years ago, I found out the NBI requires a bond (from the brand/license holder) of around P200,000 to do a raid operation? So that means small potatoes are almost not targeted. They would target ones with many units so the operation can pay for itself, if not, a high profile target so it gets into the newspaper and tv news reports so more people will get alarmed and buy more "legal" software.

**wowiesy** · June 9th, 2010 05:24 AM

Originally Posted by ghosthunter

simple... government records of business establishments.

It is heavily supported by the bigger foreign software companies that donates "free" software (like windows) to various government agencies. The Pilipina Anti Piracy Team is the teeth of the formerly toothless BSA.

Do you know, years ago, I found out the NBI requires a bond (from the brand/license holder) of around P200,000 to do a raid operation? So that means small potatoes are almost not targeted. They would target ones with many units so the operation can pay for itself, if not, a high profile target so it gets into the newspaper and tv news reports so more people will get alarmed and buy more "legal" software.

ganon ba.. i always thought that there wasn't a formal process to do a raid operation like that... tama rin naman... resources have to be used.. dapat lang financially rewarding... ang isip ko dati was that raids by nbi and the papt team were bankrolled by under the table deals with law firms or PR firms working for these software giants (MS or Autodesk)...

kasi naman kahit na magpa sheriff ka lang (say, for foreclosure proceedings)... minsan kailangan ikaw pa sumundo sa sheriff at maghatid sa lugar na ifo foreclose para lang gawin nila trabaho nila eh.... (on the other hand, if you are the one being foreclosed.... you have an idea of another person to work on to stave off foreclosure hehe.. )...

**Jun aka Pekto** · June 9th, 2010 08:40 AM

I don't condone the software companies coercing customers to buy their products. That's just wrong especially when there are legal and cheaper alternatives.

But if I was there and I saw people using illegal copies of products from those software companies, I'd be the first to rat them out.

**ghosthunter** · June 9th, 2010 08:54 AM

Originally Posted by Jun aka Pekto

I don't condone the software companies coercing customers to buy their products. That's just wrong especially when there are legal and cheaper alternatives.

But if I was there and I saw people using illegal copies of products from those software companies, I'd be the first to rat them out.

Unfortunately or fortunately... the expense of doing a software "raid" will limit raids to bigger targets. Personal users are pretty much exempt.

**ghosthunter** · June 9th, 2010 09:13 AM

Originally Posted by wowiesy

ganon ba.. i always thought that there wasn't a formal process to do a raid operation like that... tama rin naman... resources have to be used.. dapat lang financially rewarding... ang isip ko dati was that raids by nbi and the papt team were bankrolled by under the table deals with law firms or PR firms working for these software giants (MS or Autodesk)...

kasi naman kahit na magpa sheriff ka lang (say, for foreclosure proceedings)... minsan kailangan ikaw pa sumundo sa sheriff at maghatid sa lugar na ifo foreclose para lang gawin nila trabaho nila eh.... (on the other hand, if you are the one being foreclosed.... you have an idea of another person to work on to stave off foreclosure hehe.. )...

But imagine if you are the brand owner, properly registered with the DTI, etc.

Your product is enjoying moderate success in the local markets.

Then you find there are people making/distributing/selling counterfeits/fakes of your product which are inferior in quality.

Typically, to protect your brand/product, you have the NBI to conduct confiscation raids on the fake products.

But you have to spend at least P200,000 for every raid done.

If you have to do five raids, that will already cost you over P1M.

It might be "cheaper" just to live with fakes in the market even if that fact will damage the product's reputation of quality.

**vito corleone** · June 9th, 2010 09:31 AM

this is a very bad case of harassment. . .while the papt doesn't have the resources to conduct raids right and left, they have the financial backing of the software companies, at least, for this type of actions. . .gov't people really suck dito sa pilipinas

**Gen. Miting** · June 9th, 2010 10:23 AM

Originally Posted by ghosthunter

But imagine if you are the brand owner, properly registered with the DTI, etc.

Your product is enjoying moderate success in the local markets.

Then you find there are people making/distributing/selling counterfeits/fakes of your product which are inferior in quality.

Typically, to protect your brand/product, you have the NBI to conduct confiscation raids on the fake products.

But you have to spend at least P200,000 for every raid done.

If you have to do five raids, that will already cost you over P1M.

It might be "cheaper" just to live with fakes in the market even if that fact will damage the product's reputation of quality.

i wish they raid those fake raybans and oakley tiangges in greenhills. dumadami na sila eh. ang tinde pa naman ng investment ko sa mga shades ko na'to may pang tig-isang kotse ako, may pang intl. travel at may pang beach as well as may pang indoor use.

kakainis nangyari eh kahit na mukhang peke naman talaga, magkanu na isang pinakmababang rayban ngaun roughly 8K each tapos oakley 11k.

nasisira ang image ko. sa US lang last month, dalawa inuwi ko shades, 1 rayban and 1 oakley pero tig $49.00 lang. nabili ko ng mura sa nordstrom rack saka tjmaxx, pero as is where is.

**Gen. Miting** · June 9th, 2010 10:27 AM

Originally Posted by ghosthunter

I find it somewhere between irritating and somewhat harassing that it "mildly" threatens to give your company a potential search & seizure of your computers along with all your data simply because someone would (potentially falsely) report you use illegally acquired software.

BTW, all our office PCs use licensed/original MS Windows and to save money on other software, we use the free to download OpenOffice and other similar free softwares like AVG as well.

Another angle I find the letter irritating is it is being used by software companies (like Microsoft Philippines) to coerce companies to buy their expensive software.

that's why i am betting on google in the future. not apple nor microsoft. par a lahat internet-based software na.