More Pinoys accessing piracy sites for movies

Filipino consumers who access piracy sites for movies during the pandemic lockdown grew from 61% from only 49%, according to a study by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL). 

IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba cited data from a recent YouGov survey commissioned by the Coalition Against Piracy to emphasize the significance of its partnership with the Motion Picture Association (MPA). 

The YouGov survey showed that 61% of consumers in the Philippines admit to accessing pirate services. This is higher than the 49% of Filipinos who admitted to accessing piracy sites in September 2020. 

“This newest partnership with MPA elevates IPOPHL’s whole-of-society efforts in fostering a digital environment that respects intellectual property (IP) rights,” Barba said during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the MPA. 

Under the MOU, MPA will support IPOPHL in developing an effective piracy monitoring system and a rolling site-blocking regime that will disrupt accessibility to piracy sites. 

Barba also decried how the pandemic has exacerbated digital piracy around the world, resulting in billions of losses in revenues for legitimate content providers. 

“Unfortunately, some people would watch illicit content because it is free rather than pay for legitimate ones, failing to see how this can destroy our economy and creativity as a nation in the long run,” Barba added. 

A 2021 IPOPHL survey – jointly conducted with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) – showed that saving on cost was the primary reason that drives patronage of unofficial copies of movies (68%) and TV series (44%) among 1,000 respondents surveyed. 

MPA’s Executive Vice President of Global Content Protection Jan van Voorn lamented how piracy “remained popular in the Philippines and continue to have detrimental effects on the country.” 

Van Voorn, who is also head of the MPA’s global anti-piracy coalition, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), lauded IPOPHL for its work in facilitating cooperation with internet service providers and other intermediaries necessary in implementing site-blocking. 

The ACE chief also commended IPOPHL for rolling out “gold standard” consumer awareness campaigns and pushing to amend the IP Code to keep laws modern enough to sufficiently address digital piracy. 

With the MOU, IPOPHL is a step closer to its goal of implementing a rolling site-blocking policy. Last December, IPOPHL received the Government Leadership Award for Site blocking in Asia Pacific for its efforts to put site-blocking at the forefront of its anti-piracy battle. 

Beyond site-blocking and piracy monitoring, the MOU enables a lawful sharing of information that will be useful in curbing digital piracy in the Philippines. 

The MPA also commits to conduct training on various piracy prevention measures. The group will also provide reasonable assistance to help IPOPHL and other relevant agencies effectively implement rolling site blocking and take down.