Stiffer measures vs online piracy pushed

With content piracy now being done mostly online, Senator Mark Villar pushed for stiffer measures to fight it.

"Wala nang niri-raid kasi lahat nasa online na halos (No more raids were conducted as most illegal activities are done online)," Villar said during the Senate hearing on the proposed 2025 budget of the Optical Media Board.

He also said that some people question the relevance of the OMB to fight piracy given the emerging technology. He said the OMB should show its value amid the changing times.

However, the OMB only has jurisdiction against physical piracy and not online content.

The country 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.

Senate Bills 2150 and 2385, seeking to amend the Intellectual Property Code and remove its existing limitations to cover electronic and online content within the definition of pirated goods, are now pending in the Upper Chamber.

Villar initially said that the passage of these bills would solve issues of online piracy

He also previously chaired the Committee on Trade, Commerce, and Entrepreneurship and led the public hearings of the two bills. The committee is now headed by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.

In 2022, the Philippines lost around $781 million due to the piracy of Filipino-made TV shows and movies, according to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.

IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. 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 (PSA), 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.—Celine Serquiña/AOL, GMA Integrated News