Philippines agrees anti-piracy plan with MPA
The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has partnered with the Motion Picture Association (MPA) to develop new piracy monitoring systems and a website-blocking regime to tackle digital piracy.
In a press release first spotted by TorrentFreak, the IPOPHL revealed that it had partnered with the association to push back against the country’s mounting piracy issue, which it says has been “exacerbated” by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Specifically, the partnership will oversee the development of a “rolling site-blocking regime” that looks to more promptly order ISPs to prevent consumers from accessing pirate websites.
IPOPHL director general Rowel Barba said: “This newest partnership with MPA elevates IPOPHL’s whole-of-society efforts in fostering a digital environment that respects IP rights.
“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.
The memorandum of understanding signed by the two parties also enables the “lawful sharing” of information “useful to curbing” piracy in the Philippines.
Further details on the information shared, what the new monitoring systems comprise, and the extent of the cooperation between the MPA and the IP office is unknown.
Philippines piracy
Accompanying the announcement, the IPOPHL revealed that a recent YouGov survey commissioned by the Coalition Against Piracy showed that 60% of consumers in the Philippines admitted to accessing piracy sites in September 2020.
MPA’s executive vice president of global content protection Jan van Voorn said that piracy “ha[d] remained popular in the Philippines and continues to have detrimental effects on the country.
“A site-blocking framework, which incorporates transparency and due process, can be incredibly effective at reducing levels of online piracy in key markets like the Philippines.”
Last year, the IPOPHL and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC)—the Phillippine government body responsible for supervising all internet service providers in the country—signed an agreement to establish a voluntary website blocking system.
Under this agreement, rightsholders are able to submit formal complaints to the IPOPHL to prompt an investigation. Following this, the IPOPHL can send a blocking order to the NTC which, when validated will be forwarded to participating ISPs who will then block consumer access to the sites.
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