BSA

Software group BSA said “there is a possibility that thousands of engineering and design firms” in the Philippines “engaged in important public works projects may be using unlicensed software”.

BSA’s decision to launch the hotlines follows reports about “ghost piracy”, in which authorities report that design professionals working from home are illegally accessing illegal software at their offices while working remotely on engineering, construction, and animation design projects.

The BSA estimates that there are still more than 100,000 design and engineering companies using unlicensed software in Southeast Asia.

At the halfway point of the campaign, the Philippine results for software legalization came second to Thailand’s and ahead of Vietnam’s and Indonesia’s.

More than half of corporations in the Philippines are still using unlicensed software in their business operations, according to the latest BSA Global Software Survey in 2018.

Ironically, the BSA said the top software products being used illegally by businesses are operating systems and anti-virus solutions.