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TEN
industry groups have committed to police their ranks
against the use of unlicensed software and intellectual
property rights (IPR) infringement that could taint the
image of the country in the eyes of investors.
This is
embodied in a manifesto that the industry associations
signed Wednesday at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel
advocating the proper “software asset management” (SAM)
through the adoption of model SAM practices.
The
groups that signed the manifesto are Business Processing
Association of the Philippines, Contact Center
Association of the Philippines, Financial Executives
Institute of the Philippines, Philippine Software
Industry Association (PSIA), Animation Council of the
Philippines Inc. Cebu Software Development Industry
Association Inc., Medical Transcription Industry
Association of the Philippines Inc., Philippine Internet
Services Association, Association of Consultant Civil
Engineers of the Philippines and the Association of
Government Internal Auditors.
The
signing of the manifesto is part of the campaign of the
Business Software Alliance (BSA), the Department of
Trade and Industry, the Bureau of Internal Revenue and
the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IP
Phils.) against the use of unlicensed software.
The
program espouses the Follow SAM Campaign, which calls on
companies to adopt model software asset management
practice in their organizations.
The
manifesto, which represents the groups’ commitment to
IPR protection and software-asset management, binds the
industry associations to urge their members to implement
a model SAM practice as their duty as responsible
corporate citizens.
“We
believe that business organizations like ourselves,
which benefit from the use of software, must uphold
respect for IPR through proper software-asset
management. Through a model SAM practice, which includes
the use of legal and licensed software, we are able to
maximize our cost-efficiency, network security and
productivity, as well as minimize the risks to our
reputation and our business,” the manifesto reads.
SAM is a
set of policies or procedures within an organization
that helps the company take full advantage of all its
software programs. It involves assessment and audit of
software used, setting aside a budget for software
procurement and issuing company policy on the use of
software.
A model
SAM practice will lead to the maximization of IT
resources, and the prevention of the use of illegal
software.
Fermin
Taruc, PSIA president, said education is important in
the campaign for the protection of software rights since
there are times when piracy is being done not willingly
but simply due to ignorance.
Taruc
said it is important the country established that IPR is
respected in the Philippines, otherwise the industries
here will find it difficult to attract more investments
and become global players.
Ronald
Chua, chairman of the Philippine committee of the BSA,
said SAM also makes companies look at their software as
a productivity tool that should “be used and managed
well to gain from it.” |
