Post by The Main Man on Feb 4, 2007 11:40:16 GMT 8
By Col. James A. Rarick
In case you have not heard, the Philippine national police raided the St. Louis Review
Center in Manila, the Philippines, last Friday. They were looking for
review materials that contained pirated copyrighted materials. They
certainly found some!
From the Federation of State Boards of Physical
Therapy: On Friday, January 26, 2007, agents of the Philippines
National Bureau of Investigation, Intellectual Property Rights Division
("NBI-IPRD") raided two locations of the St. Louis Review Center
("SLRC") in Manila. The raids were conducted following a
complaint made by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy
("FSBPT") that SLRC was believed to be using copyrighted test
items from the National Physical Therapy Exam ("NPTE") in its
NPTE preparation courses.
Prior to the raids, agents of the NBI-IPRD
conducted a criminal surveillance operation of the test centers, which
confirmed the unlawful use of the test items. Specifically, SLRC was
found to be providing its students with copies of actual NPTE test items
(emphasis mine) that candidates who had previously taken the exam
recalled by memory. Armed with this information, the NBI-IPRD applied
for and obtained search warrants from the Philippines Regional Trial
Court authorizing the seizure of items used or intended to be used in
furtherance of criminal violations of Philippines copyright laws by SLRC
and its owners, instructors and other representatives. The raids
occurred at approximately 11:30 a.m. local time, and the NBI-IPRD agents
seized various examination preparation materials, enrollment forms and
other documents, as well as a computer and numerous computer files.
"We are very pleased that the Filipino authorities have taken this
next step in the criminal prosecution of SLRC and the individuals
associated with SLRC," stated E. Dargan Ervin, Jr., FSBPT President.
"The FSBPT is committed to protecting its copyrighted test items and
preserving the integrity of the NPTE, and we will be cooperating fully
with the criminal authorities as this prosecution goes forward. However,
we want to reassure those preparing to take the NPTE that this action
will not affect any current testing operations.
The NPTE will continue to be given at all testing facilities in all 50 U.S. states and the
District of Columbia." The FSBPT has been actively seeking out
those that would "cheat" on their NPTE exams. They take their
mission, morals and ethics seriously. The FSBPT has gone so far as to
monitor forums, Yahoo groups, and chat rooms for any sharing of test
questions. Other regulatory agencies in the United States have taken
note of that. The NCLEX exam for nurses, for example, is another that
will be changed and made more difficult (and more secure) starting in
April of this year.
Oh, yes, do not plan on either NCLEX or NPTE exam
sites in the Philippines. At least not in the foreseeable future.
Officials at ETS®, the organization that created and administers the
TOEFL® iBT, have also made note of test question sharing and other
forms of cheating. They will take action when circumstances permit.
Taking actual test questions from a test site (of any of the
professional tests), whether written, photographed, photocopied, or just
by memory, and passed on to others is what is commonly known on the
street as "cheating".
Cheating is wrong. It is not nice, moral, ethical, or legal to do. Reviewing from textbooks, discussing relevant topics you might be tested on, and reviewing previous class notes is not cheating. Sharing and using actual test questions to
prepare for a test is definitely cheating.
In case you have not heard, the Philippine national police raided the St. Louis Review
Center in Manila, the Philippines, last Friday. They were looking for
review materials that contained pirated copyrighted materials. They
certainly found some!
From the Federation of State Boards of Physical
Therapy: On Friday, January 26, 2007, agents of the Philippines
National Bureau of Investigation, Intellectual Property Rights Division
("NBI-IPRD") raided two locations of the St. Louis Review Center
("SLRC") in Manila. The raids were conducted following a
complaint made by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy
("FSBPT") that SLRC was believed to be using copyrighted test
items from the National Physical Therapy Exam ("NPTE") in its
NPTE preparation courses.
Prior to the raids, agents of the NBI-IPRD
conducted a criminal surveillance operation of the test centers, which
confirmed the unlawful use of the test items. Specifically, SLRC was
found to be providing its students with copies of actual NPTE test items
(emphasis mine) that candidates who had previously taken the exam
recalled by memory. Armed with this information, the NBI-IPRD applied
for and obtained search warrants from the Philippines Regional Trial
Court authorizing the seizure of items used or intended to be used in
furtherance of criminal violations of Philippines copyright laws by SLRC
and its owners, instructors and other representatives. The raids
occurred at approximately 11:30 a.m. local time, and the NBI-IPRD agents
seized various examination preparation materials, enrollment forms and
other documents, as well as a computer and numerous computer files.
"We are very pleased that the Filipino authorities have taken this
next step in the criminal prosecution of SLRC and the individuals
associated with SLRC," stated E. Dargan Ervin, Jr., FSBPT President.
"The FSBPT is committed to protecting its copyrighted test items and
preserving the integrity of the NPTE, and we will be cooperating fully
with the criminal authorities as this prosecution goes forward. However,
we want to reassure those preparing to take the NPTE that this action
will not affect any current testing operations.
The NPTE will continue to be given at all testing facilities in all 50 U.S. states and the
District of Columbia." The FSBPT has been actively seeking out
those that would "cheat" on their NPTE exams. They take their
mission, morals and ethics seriously. The FSBPT has gone so far as to
monitor forums, Yahoo groups, and chat rooms for any sharing of test
questions. Other regulatory agencies in the United States have taken
note of that. The NCLEX exam for nurses, for example, is another that
will be changed and made more difficult (and more secure) starting in
April of this year.
Oh, yes, do not plan on either NCLEX or NPTE exam
sites in the Philippines. At least not in the foreseeable future.
Officials at ETS®, the organization that created and administers the
TOEFL® iBT, have also made note of test question sharing and other
forms of cheating. They will take action when circumstances permit.
Taking actual test questions from a test site (of any of the
professional tests), whether written, photographed, photocopied, or just
by memory, and passed on to others is what is commonly known on the
street as "cheating".
Cheating is wrong. It is not nice, moral, ethical, or legal to do. Reviewing from textbooks, discussing relevant topics you might be tested on, and reviewing previous class notes is not cheating. Sharing and using actual test questions to
prepare for a test is definitely cheating.