Senator Mark Villar is pushing for stronger measures to combat IP piracy, noting that the majority of these illegal activities now occur online.
Villar, in a budget hearing for the Optical Media Board (OMB) Tuesday, emphasized the need to address the evolving nature of piracy and crack down on online pirates. The OMB currently only has jurisdiction over physical piracy and lacks authority over online content.
The Philippines also does not have a legal mandate to block websites with pirated content. The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), and internet service providers are working together on temporary measures to block such sites.
To address this issue, Villar filed Senate Bills 2150 and 2385, which aim to amend the Intellectual Property Code and expand its definition of pirated goods to include electronic and online content. Villar said the passage of these bills would effectively address online piracy.
The Philippines lost about $700 million in 2022 due to the piracy of Filipino-made TV shows and movies, according to a YouGov survey. The country was identified as one of the top consumers of pirated content in Asia.
IPOPHL director-general Rowel Barba warned that the Philippines could face revenue leakage of around $1 billion by 2027 if online piracy continues unabated.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) estimates that piracy costs the country 7.1 percent of its gross domestic product. This results in lost revenue, job losses and increased risks of malware infection on devices that consume pirated content.
The IPOPHL has been advocating for the amendment of the 27-year-old IP Code and supports the implementation of measures to disable access to websites infringing on copyrighted materials.
