The Irony of It All

Anino Entertainment offices in Alabang Philippines was recently raided by authorities due to reports by Autodesk that they housed pirated copies of software in their workstations.

What should anyone make of this? It’s no secret that countless small and medium size enterprises utilize backup copies of software to drive down company expenses. Great for companies who are struggling to churn out profit from its operations. But is this right?

Legally, the answer is crystal. And from a business ethical standpoint (for what’s its worth), the answer echoes through. Any company who ventures into a business that requires tools or software to directly or indirectly deliver their finished products must abide by the laws that govern their industry.

Ironically, Anino Entertainment is a software company. When they released Anito (the first ever video game by a Philippine company) a few years ago, they were battling a similar issue – Piracy.

Surely if Anino Entertainment found out a certain company distributing pirated Anito copies for recreational activities for their respective employees, would'nt they have a similar if not greater reaction to what Autodesk did?

Releasing a product with much hype and media coverage, making a name in the Philippine gaming industry and not abiding by the basic fundamental laws governing and protecting businesses like theirs was ineffably fatuous.

A case of intellectual property insensitivity and improper business practices drove Anino Entertainment to this predicament. To say that they merited a ‘warning’ from the offended parties, would be an act of impassiveness and outright rejection of ideals that make the software development industry work.