THE Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) said it is planning a system that will block sites containing pirated copies of Philippine books.
IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba said the book publishing industry is facing the threat of digital piracy, which is being practiced more and more brazenly.
The pirates are “no longer just hiding in the shadows. They’re sailing digital seas… making it tougher than ever to keep them at bay,” Mr. Barba said during a briefing at the Philippine Book Festival in Davao City last week.
“(What) we want is to keep the book industry’s treasure locked while still letting people have a (access),” he added.
According to Mr. Barba, the IPOPHL has been promoting legal frameworks such as the draft guidelines on voluntary site-blocking that could help book publishers. The guidelines have been finalized and are awaiting the signing of a memorandum of understanding with internet service providers (ISPs).
Under the guidelines, Mr. Barba said rights holders can ask IPOPHL to order the blocking of a site containing pirated material.
He added that the IPOPHL could request ISPs to act on site-blocking requests if the IP Rights Enforcement Office confirms that the sites are committing piracy.
Mr. Barba said House Bill No. 7600 and Senate Bill No. 2150, written by Albay Rep. Jose Maria Clemente S. Salceda and Senator Jose P. Ejercito, Jr., respectively, would also authorize site-blocking. Both bills represent proposed amendments to the IP Code of the Philippines.
The House bill was approved on third and final reading in May while the Senate bill was filed in May.
“If signed into law, these measures will allow IPOPHL to issue the appropriate site-blocking orders and ISPs will have to comply with the order within 48 hours,” Mr. Barba said.
Separately, Bureau of Copyright and Related Rights (BCRR) Director Emerson G. Cuyo, speaking in Davao, touted the benefits of registering copyrighted works.
“Year to date, the BCRR has surpassed its goal of hitting 4,000 copyright registrations for 2023, indicating just how eager Filipinos are in protecting their creative assets. I’m sure Davao has a treasure trove of artistry to guard, so I hope each of you protect them through the BCRR,” Mr. Cuyo said.
In the first half, the IPOPHL fielded 200 piracy and counterfeiting complaints, up 284.6% from a year earlier.
Piracy reports accounted for 76% of the total, against nine incidents logged a year earlier. Incidents of piracy involving software totaled 145, followed by movies at six, and e-books one.
Counterfeiting incidents increased 9% to 48, including 35 reported in the apparel sector. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave