Viva Holdings Inc. and its 37 subsidiaries signed an e-commerce memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) Tuesday, becoming the first entertainment-focused company to take a stand against online piracy and counterfeiting through the agreement.
The IPOPHL, which oversees the MOU, cited Viva’s participation as a significant boost to efforts encouraging creatives to safeguard their intellectual property (IP) rights — a move seen as critical to business growth and wider opportunities in the creative sector.
“The more stakeholders we bring into the e-commerce MOU, the stronger our cooperation becomes. For signatories like Viva, it offers a more efficient way to protect content from pirated uploads and unauthorized streaming, while inspiring other creators to take ownership of their IP,” said IPOPHL director-general Brigitte da Costa-Villaluz.
Launched in 2021, the MOU promotes a voluntary code of practice among e-commerce players to identify and remove infringing content and goods, and is widely recognized as a model for collaborative enforcement in a digital landscape where piracy spreads rapidly.