CRIMINAL charges for unfair competition is set to be filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) against the owners of seven seized unauthorized automated payment machines in the cities of Muntinlupa, Pasay and Parañaque.
This was revealed yesterday by NBI-Intellectual Property Rights Division (NBI-IPRD) head agent Glenn Ricarte as his group implemented the search warrants issued by Judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa of the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 46.
The search warrant was issued by the judge following the complaint filed by private complainant, Manila Express Payment System (MEPS), which is engaged in franchising, distribution, trading and sale of duly registered and patented Information Technology (IT) products.
The NBI will file unfair competition charges against the officers of Xytrix Systems Corporation, according to Ricarte.
The NBI-IPRD has earlier filed criminal cases before the Manila Prosecutor’s Office against officers of the Electronic Transfer and Advance Processing Inc. (e-TAP), owner of the “Pay&Go” machines namely Perseverando Hernandez, Marlon Portugal, Antonio Lasala, Reynaldo Isidro and Rachel Mercado.
Officers of BTI Payments Philippines, Inc. namely David Scott Glen, Peter Alexander Blacket, Danilo Ibarra, Alina Sison, were charged before the Manila Prosecutors Office for unfair competition after the NBI seized identical machines in a raid last December.
Ricarte said they implemented the search warrants to prevent the proliferation of identical machines to the detriment of legally registered businessmen in the said trade.
The licensed utility model under the label “TouchPay” is a payment system more specifically to a method for remitting payments through automated payment machine to ease the consumer in making payments to his/her service provider through the use of a machine that is accessible to the public 24/7.
According to the NB, they received on December 3, 2020, a request for investigation from the complainant on the identical machines which they are operating with the same payment system as MEPS.
This resulted to confusion and false belief to users that they are MEPS’ APMs resulting in the damage and prejudice of their company.
Immediately, the group of Ricarte conducted surveillance and test buys in different areas in Metro Manila resulting to the confiscation of the said machines identical with the MEPS machines.
