Measures vs online piracy pushed anew

MANILA, Philippines — Measures against online piracy are being urged in the country as most illegal activities concerned with piracy are now being conducted online.

During the budget deliberations of the Optical Media Board (OMB) on Tuesday, Sen. Mark Villar said that the technological means for piracy have evolved over the years, emphasizing the need to crack down against online pirates.

"Wala nang niri-raid kasi lahat nasa online na halos," Villar said.

The OMB only has jurisdiction against physical piracy and not online content.

The Philippines currently does not have a legislative mandate to block sites with pirated content. The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and internet service providers are only teaming up to put up stopgap measures to block sites with pirated content. 

Two separate bills — Senate Bills 2150 and 2385 — are currently filed in the Senate to amend the IP code and remove its existing limitations to cover electronic and online content within the definition of pirated goods.

Villar initially said that the passage of these bills would solve issues of online piracy once they were enacted into law. He also previously chaired the Committee on Trade, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship and led the public hearings of the two bills.

In 2022, the Philippines reportedly lost around $700 million due to the piracy of Filipino-made TV shows and movies, as the country has been named as one of the top consumers of pirated content in Asia, according to a YouGov 2022 Piracy Landscape Survey.

IPOPHL Director General Rowel Barba estimates that the Philippines will have around $1 billion in revenue leakage in 2027 if concerns regarding online piracy continue. 

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, piracy takes away around 7.1% of the country's gross domestic product.

This results in forgone revenue for the country and loss of livelihood, and it even threatens to inflict malware on devices consuming pirated content, which can be a gateway for scams.

The IPOPHL also said that revising the 27-year-old IP code and mandating authorities to disable access to online sites infringing copyrighted materials will be much welcomed, noting that they have been advocating for its amendment and are ready to implement it once passed.