Private groups form alliance to combat content piracy, illegal rebroadcasting

An alliance composed of private sector groups and government agencies to combat content piracy and illegal rebroadcasting in the broadcast sector was recently formed, signalling the intensification of efforts against the said unscrupulous practices.

The alliance is spearheaded by Philippine Multi-Media System, Inc. (PMSI) and its core product Dream Broadcasting System, the first ever direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television service provider in the Philippines. The Anti-Piracy Alliance was launched at the DREAM Broadcast Center at the Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ).

To formally launch the alliance, PMSI and DREAM, along with content providers as well as government agencies such as the National Telecommunications Commission, the Intellectual Property and the National Bureau of Investigation, signed a manifesto declaring their commitment to combat piracy.

The signing of the manifesto was led by Cesar G. Reyes, PMSI chief operating officer (COO), NTC Commissioner Eliseo Rio and Emma Francisco, director general of the Intellectual Property Office, which is under the Office of the President.

During the presentation that preceded the manifesto signing, Reyes explained how PMSI and DREAM have taken concrete steps on its own to combat content piracy and illegal broadcasting.

According to Reyes, PMSI has developed its own fingerprinting system in cooperation with Nokia. This will enable PMSI and DREAM to identify which integrated receiver-decoder boxes are being used for content piracy and illegal broadcasts, and deactivate them.

Reyes also bared that PMSI has created an Anti-Piracy Task Force under Col. Byron Tabangay and has mobilized its members to make the rounds of provinces nationwide. The task force will be working closely with the content providers and government agencies such as the NTC, IPO and NBI.

He expressed confidence that the firm commitment of the groups involved in the intensified campaign against content piracy would ensure its success and encourage other sectors to actively support and participate in the effort to minimize if not totally rid the broadcast industry of such illegal and unscrupulous practice.

Rio echoed Reyes’ optimism and vowed that the government would crack down on violators. "This is a no-nonsense campaign that we would pursue vigorously to protect industry players and Filipino consumers."

Rio is also set to issue a memorandum circular that will impose heavy penalties on those caught engaged in content piracy and illegal rebroadcasting.