‘Classify sale of pirated discs under fencing law’

Sen. Renato Cayetano called yesterday for a more potent deterrent against the sale of pirated compact discs and video compact discs by classifying it as among the prohibited acts under the Anti-Fencing Law.

Cayetano said the problem of piracy in the entertainment industry could be significantly reduced if the marketing of pirated CDs and VCDs is immediately declared illegal.

"If the Anti-Fencing Law is applied, then the pirated CD or VCD will be considered a contraband and its seller and buyer can be held liable," he said.

Cayetano said the use of the Intellectual Property Rights Law in the anti-piracy campaign is not effective as it imposes very light sanctions.

Sen. Vicente Sotto III, chairman of the Senate committee on mass media and public information, endorsed Cayetano’s proposal that would make not only manufacturers but also sellers and buyers of pirated discs criminally liable.

"That scheme was implemented by Hong Kong authorities and they were successful in their campaign against piracy," Sotto said.

Cayetano said he also favors a jail term of 10 to 20 years for persons convicted of manufacturing pirated CDs and VCDs.

The jail term corresponds to a count of piracy, so that if a person is convicted of pirating 10 songs or 10 movies, for instance, he could spend his lifetime in jail. — Efren Danao