April was recently declared as the National Intellectual Property (IP) month in the Philippines. To kick off the intellectual property celebration this year, the local industry and government agencies have joined together to push forward new efforts to prevent piracy, illegal camcording, and other violations of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).
The Philippines remains to be the social media capital of the world. But, this is no great feat with IPR continually being violated through illegal acts across the world wide web. A fast-growing economy and over 60 million Filipinos active on social media, it’s no surprise that piracy in this digital shift has become more pervasive. For violators, it’s an easy and lucrative way to gain money, but for industries concerned, it devalues creative output.
Our country has a sweet spot for innovation and if IPR is relentlessly disregarded, this potential would go to waste. The official declaration aims to align the country’s programs and activities to the scale of global IP celebrations. With the theme of “Innovation: Improving Lives 2017 World IP Day,” this month-long celebration is a great opportunity to get Filipinos interested and involved in issues relating to IP.
In what ways do we violate IPR?
The most common way we violate IPR is by accessing pirated content. By downloading pirated titles, credit goes to cyber thieves instead of the content makers.
Apart from this, people who access content on pirate websites are exposed to these risks: potential identity theft from malware and Trojans, and highly-sexualized content. With the Filipinos’ increasing access to mobile devices and internet connection, young people are vulnerable to visit pirate websites without knowing they are engaging in illegal online activity. These infringing sites expose visitors to illicit content such as pornography, violence, online gambling, and online services that promote piracy, which may be falsely labeled as children’s songs, shows or movies.
“Parents, educators and mentors need to spend time educating and helping the youth understand these dangers. We must all share responsibility in creating a safe digital environment for everyone,” said Atty. Marivic Benedicto, chairman, Philippine Association of the Record Industry (PARI).
What can be done?
Infringing Website List
In an effort to disrupt the advertising revenues on illegal websites on a global scale, marketing and advertising professionals in several markets around the world are collaborating on the Infringing Website List (IWL) initiative. The IWL is a list of infringing websites where advertisers can choose not to place their ads.
This initiative was first started in the United Kingdom. In the Philippines, the Motion Picture Association is working with the Philippine Association of National Advertisers (PANA) to create awareness for brands and the advertising industry about online infringement to help disrupt the advertising revenues channeled to the illegal pirate sites.
Joining forces to protect IPR
The Government and the industry are working hand in hand on the fight against the violators of Intellectual Property in the country. To raise awareness on the importance of IPR and the impact of IPR crimes, President Rodrigo Duterte has recently signed Proclamation 190 declaring April of every year as National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Month. Throughout April, various programs and activities will be carried out by the Intellectual Property Office and other industry players to educate various sectors of the public.
“IPR education and awareness are vital in ensuring that Filipinos are conscious of the importance of IPR and the various measures and laws in place to protect the system,” director general Josephine R. Santiago of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines said.
“We, at IPOPHL would like to invite all Filipinos to join us in our advocacy of defending the rights of creators, innovators and inventors and in fighting infringement, piracy and other forms of IPR violations,” she urged.
The anti-piracy campaign of the Philippine film industry, supported by collaborative efforts, is constantly being reviewed and improved. The National Cinema Association of the Philippines (NCAP) and the Motion Picture Anti-Film Piracy Council (MPAFC) are committed to carry out various measures to deter criminal syndicates from illegal camcording, and continued education efforts on piracy and other illegal activities.
Under the Anti-Camcording Law, any person who is caught using or attempting to use an audiovisual recording device to transmit or make a copy of any part of a performance in an exhibition facility of any cinematographic film or other audiovisual work will be charged with a fine of PHP 50,000 to PHP 750,000 and will face imprisonment of a minimum of six months and one day to six years and one day.
IPOPHIL is also working on creating more solutions to battle crimes against IPR: meets with various industry experts to fortify policies and effectively carry on plans; spread IP education and awareness through fun programs for each segment; address counterfeiting and piracy in the online market; organize anti counterfeiting and piracy summit; improve IP prosecution and delegation; and facilitate capacity building for law enforcement agencies.
When an effective IP protection program is activated, various sectors will blow up, positively affecting our economy. A healthy IP system is bound to encourage innovation and competitive creativity.