Criminal cases filed against magazine, computer shop owners

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Criminal cases filed against magazine, computer shop owners
By Erwin Lemuel Oliva
INQ7.net

CRIMINAL cases have been filed against a magazine and several computer shop owners, following a police and Optical Media Board (OMB)-led raids that confiscated pirated and pornographic materials in January 2006.

The OMB and Philippine National Police have filed cases at the Department of Justice against store owners Felimon Barbasa III, owner and proprietor of Filbar's at Glorietta II and Greenbelt 1 in Makati City; Yancy Lim, owner and proprietor of Genex Mediatech in Ali Mall, Cubao; and Jose Marie Custodio, owner and proprietor of Pro-Con Computer in Ali Mall, Cubao.

The owners of Filbar's, Pro-Con Computer Center, and Genex Meditech face criminal charges for violating provisions of the Optical Media Act.

Meanwhile the PNP has also filed a case against Barbasa for selling pornographic anime CDs, a violation of Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code.

The criminal charges stemmed from the simultaneous joint raids of the PNP Anti-Fraud and Computer Crimes Division and the OMB, in which more than 6,000 pirated CDs, mostly counterfeit copies of several computer programs, were confiscated. The raid also confiscated pornographic anime CDs from Filbar's.

Continuing joint operations by the OMB and PNP are part of the Pilipinas Anti-Piracy Team's activities, a government's campaign to promote awareness of intellectual property rights and curb piracy in the country.