CONSUMPTION of pirated content in the Philippines via online streaming has increased 70% this year with piracy proliferating on social media platforms, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.
Citing a survey by the Asia Video Industry Association, Acting DTI Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque said at the Philippine International Copyright Summit on Monday that 70% of users in the Philippines consume pirated content via online streaming.
“This is higher than last year’s 58% and makes the Philippines second in the region with the highest piracy consumption. A large part of this increase is attributed to the rising piracy in social media and messaging platforms,” she said.
“Through the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and the other members of the National Committee on Intellectual Property Rights, with the DTI serving as chair, we aim to collaborate closely with these platforms and hold accountable those who continue to foster a culture of piracy,” she added.
In particular, she said that the plan is to modernize the IP framework with a focus on improved enforcement against online piracy and increase intellectual property (IP) education.
“The DTI hopes to reinforce the nation’s status as an emerging star in the global creative economy and achieve a success story where every Filipino artist takes the lead,” she said.
“Ultimately, by fostering collaboration and championing creativity and aligning with this administration, we can cultivate a future that showcases the depth of Filipino artistry and innovation, securing our position as a dynamic leader in the creative economy,” she added.
During her keynote speech, she said that businesses, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises, do not appreciate the importance of copyright, IP, and trademarks.
“The Philippine Creative Industry Development Act and the Philippine Creative Industry Development Plan aim to answer these questions by zooming into a number of key actions to keep the creative economy on an upward trajectory,” she said.
“However, all our creative endeavors will only prosper if we have a united front in supporting our artists and safeguarding the fruits of their labor,” she added.
Meanwhile, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Deputy Director General for Copyright and Creative Industries Sylvie Forbin said WIPO is working with IPOPHL and the DTI on a project that will measure the contribution of the creative industry to the economy.
“We have done so much in the past; a lot of meetings we co-organized together, and in a lot of fields we have done some capacity building activities for the creative industries,” Ms. Forbin said.
“Now we are working closely on this new activity … which is the measurement of the contribution of the creative economy to the gross domestic product of the country,” she said.
She said the project will help not only the government but also the private sector to quantify the contribution of creatives.
“We began in June, and the work is ongoing. Tomorrow we will have a meeting with the technical team here in the Philippines, and we do hope that we can have some results by the end of the year, then we will have the final survey, which will be done by the Philippine experts by the end of 2025,” she said.
“We want other ASEAN countries to follow this move, and at the end of the work we would have a platform of the data of the region, which would be very useful. Of course, it is something that we are doing worldwide, but we are beginning here in the Philippines,” she added. — Justine Irish D. Tabile
