Labella says: Wanna fight piracy? Drop software prices

Cebu City councilor Edgardo Labella said the rampant piracy of computer software would be minimized -if not totally solved- if manufacturers of the licensed software lower their prices.

Licensed computer software costs around P7,000 to P9,000 while pirated ones can be had only at P200 to P300 from illegal sources.

This suggestion came after the arrest of Kevin Cunningham, 42, and his Filipino business partner Rommel Ocareza, 25, for sale of pirated software worth P9 million in barangay Lorega-San Miguel on Thursday night.

They were already charged before the Cebu City prosecutors office for estafa and violating the Intellectual Property Rights Law, but both of them availed of a preliminary investigation of their case.

The representatives of a private firm complained to the NBI after they found out that the software sold to them by Cunningham were all pirated that prompted the NBI agents to coordinate with the Microsoft Company.

Cunningham agreed to deliver to an Internet café in Lorega-San Miguel 100 pieces of computer software ordered by the NBI agents, who pretended to be buyers.

The NBI agents together with the representatives from the Microsoft quickly inspected the products and arrested both of them. - Rene U. Borromeo