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Globe unites with IPOPHL, major ISPs vs online content piracy

𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 [𝐿-𝑅]: 𝐴𝑡𝑡𝑦. 𝐸𝑛𝑟𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑜 𝐶𝑟𝑢𝑧, 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑦, 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑟 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑀𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎 𝐿𝑎𝑤𝑦𝑒𝑟, 𝐷𝐼𝑇𝑂 𝑇𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦; 𝑆𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑜 𝑁𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑛, 𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑁𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐸𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑆𝑘𝑦 𝐶𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑝; 𝑌𝑜𝑙𝑦 𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑜, 𝐺𝑙𝑜𝑏𝑒 𝐺𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝 𝐶ℎ𝑖𝑒𝑓 𝑆𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑂𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑟; 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐸𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑛 𝑆𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑜𝑑, 𝐴𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑉𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑃𝐿𝐷𝑇 𝐺𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑝 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠. 𝑆𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 [𝐿-𝑅]: 𝐴𝑡𝑡𝑦. 𝐽𝑜𝑛 𝑃𝑎𝑢𝑙𝑜 𝑆𝑎𝑙𝑣𝑎ℎ𝑎𝑛, 𝐷𝑒𝑝𝑢𝑡𝑦 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑟, 𝑁𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑇𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛; 𝐴𝑡𝑡𝑦. 𝐸𝑙𝑙𝑎 𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑎 𝐿𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑧, 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑟, 𝑁𝑇𝐶; 𝐴𝑡𝑡𝑦. 𝑅𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑙 𝐵𝑎𝑟𝑏𝑎, 𝐷𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙, 𝐼𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑃𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑦 𝑂𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑃ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠; 𝐴𝑡𝑡𝑦. 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑃𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑛-𝐶𝑎𝑛𝑙𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑛, 𝐷𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝐼𝐼𝐼, 𝐵𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑢 𝑜𝑓 𝐿𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑓𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑢𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐷𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟, 𝐼𝑃𝑅 𝐸𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑂𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒; 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴𝑡𝑡𝑦. 𝑁𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑒𝑙 𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑜, 𝐷𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝐼𝑉, 𝐵𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑢 𝑜𝑓 𝐿𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑓𝑓𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑢𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐷𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟, 𝐼𝑃𝑅 𝐸𝑛𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑂𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒.

In a landmark move to protect intellectual property rights and combat online content piracy, Globe has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and four other leading Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the country to establish a site-blocking mechanism against pirate sites.

A first in Asia, the MOU is a significant step forward against content piracy pending proposed amendments to the 26-year-old Republic Act No. 8293 or the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines, which will institutionalize stronger measures.

The milestone coincides with the Philippines’ Creative Industry Month, which celebrates the industry that the agreement seeks to protect. Protecting the Creative Industry is among priorities of the Marcos administration and is part of the Philippine Development Plan.

“What we are doing today is such an important step in the absence of a site-blocking law. We are no longer tied up. We can do something about piracy,” said Yoly Crisanto, Chief Sustainability and Communications Officer, Globe Group, at the MOU signing on September 20.

“Just as we have taken our advocacy to such great lengths, we’re fully committed to stopping piracy. And hopefully, in the digital economy, the Philippines can start looking forward to a creative industry that is robust and free from all these challenges,” she added.

The MOU “is the first in Asia and second in the world,” remarked Neil Gane of the Motion Pictures Association. Germany had pioneered a similar initiative, where the site-blocking process centers around an independent entity known as the Clearinghouse for Copyright on the Internet (CUII) founded by ISPs and rights holders. Notably, Germany’s model operates without the direct involvement of any governmental agency.

As it underscored the benefits the internet has brought to Filipinos, the MOU highlights the detrimental effects of online piracy, which not only harms legitimate stakeholders but also exposes users to potential malware threats and phishing attacks.

The MOU’s primary objective is to establish a voluntary site-blocking practice against the unauthorized distribution and sale of pirated content over the internet and set an example for other stakeholders who are not yet signatories to the MOU.

It also outlines the general principles and procedures for site blocking, emphasizing collaboration between ISPs and IPOPHL, and ensuring compliance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012.

Site-blocking is among proposed amendments to the Intellectual Property Code, with measures pending in Congress. As it welcomes the MOU, Globe is hoping for a more robust, institutionalized mechanism for site-blocking under the law, as this would penalize offenders and make site-blocking a matter of course for ISPs.

Globe supports the swift approval of two bills currently under Senate review, introduced by Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla, following the passage of House Bill No. 7600 by Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda in the House of Representatives last May.

These legislative efforts aim to refine Republic Act No. 8293 and empower IPOPHL to initiate site-blocking measures against copyright-infringing sites.

Globe’s commitment to combating piracy is evident through its #PlayItRight campaign, which champions the protection of content creators in an era rife with pirated materials. As a member of the Video Coalition of the Philippines and the Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA), Globe has consistently advocated for robust intellectual property rights in the country to protect consumers and the creative industry, a major contributor to the economy.

The urgency of these efforts is underscored by a recent study by Media Partners Asia, which projected a potential revenue loss of $1 billion for the Philippines by 2027 if online video piracy continues unchecked. Surveys by YouGov also indicate that enforcing site-blocking could significantly benefit the Philippines’ P1.6-trillion creative industry.

The Filipino public is not blind to the challenges and consequences of piracy. A majority support government action against piracy, with many expressing willingness to pay for legitimate content if it’s not available on pirated platforms.

With this MOU, Globe, IPOPHL, and other ISPs are taking a decisive step towards a safer, more equitable online environment, ensuring that the creative industry thrives and that Filipinos can enjoy legitimate content without compromise.

To learn more about Globe, visit https://www.globe.com.ph/.

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