Senate panel set to tackle bills vs online piracy

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THE Senate Committee on Trade and Industry chaired by Senator Mark Villar is set to tackle two measures that aim to revise the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines to facilitate the blocking of websites and protect intellectual property rights.

The bills intend to enhance the functions and power of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).

The office of Villar said the trade and industry panel will conduct public hearings on Senate Bills (SBs) 2150 and 2385, which are considered priority measures, on April 23.

IPOPHL officials are expected to attend the public hearing.

The measures also aim to remove the IP Code’s limitations by broadening its scope to encompass electronic and online content within the definition of pirated goods.

The House of Representatives passed in May 2023 the counterpart bill — House Bill 7600 – filed by Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda.

“Our laws must also respond to prevalent and more advanced forms of piracy and counterfeiting nowadays, and with this proposed law, we hope to support governmental efforts that would protect intellectual property,” House Speaker Martin Romualdez said.

Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, who introduced SB 2150, said that piracy is considered the greatest threat to Philippine cinema. It profoundly hurts the creative industry, as it discourages production, affects the livelihood of workers, and significantly diminishes revenues from the sector.

“Take, for instance, the unfortunate case of the 2020 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), which reportedly earned less than P50 million only, a substantial loss from the billion-peso box office gross from the preceding years. The culprits were massive piracy, illegal access, and unlawful consumption of MMFF entries across cyberspace. One film producer shared that they monitored illegal online streaming and found 10 to 20 links per hour,” Estrada said.

Estrada noted that the Covid-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented increase in film piracy in many countries. In the Philippines, illegal online links to Filipino movies that are still being shown in cinemas are being indiscriminately shared on social media platforms.

The IPOPHL reported a significant surge in counterfeiting and piracy activities in 2020, surpassing the number of reports and complaints received from 2016 to 2020.

Most reports are related to movies and shows allegedly being pirated (40%), followed by e-books (25%) and software products (16%). A study showed that over 60% of Filipino consumers watch pirated content. All in all, the country has one of the highest piracy rates in Southeast Asia.

Entertainment personalities have urged the Senate to swiftly pass the amendments to the Intellectual Property Code to enable online site blocking and stop piracy.