Think tank pushes for passage of website blocking bill

MANILA, Philippines — A think tank is urging Congress to immediately pass the Site Blocking Bill to help address piracy in the Philippines, stressing the need to address the economic impact and security issues brought by crime.

The Philippines currently has no legislative mandate to block sites with pirated content. The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), the National Telecommunications Commission, and internet service providers are only teaming up to put up stopgap measures to block sites with pirated content. 

"We thus make an urgent call to our senators to act on the Site Blocking Bill, now pending before their chamber. This bill amends the existing Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines by enabling the IPOPHIL to shut down sites containing pirated content, thus allowing it to act swiftly in the fight against piracy," said Stratbase ADR Institute president, Prof. Dindo Manhit.

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.

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.

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.

"Aside from the economic toll on creative workers and on the creative industry, piracy is a dangerous activity that compromises users' security whenever they go to sites distributing pirated content. They stand to lose their assets, their privacy, and even be victimized and held liable because their identities have been used for criminal activities," Manhit added.

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.