Two legislative proposals that seek to strengthen the powers of the Intellectual Property Office in suppressing online content piracy are set to be heard during the Lenten recess of the Senate.
The Trade and Industry Committee of Senator Mark Villar released recently an electronic message to the media on Senate public hearing schedule for SBN 2150 and SBN 2385, which were authored by Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., respectively.
The two bills will amend Republic Act No. 8293 also known as the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines, passed in 1997.
In his explanatory note, Estrada said SBN 2150 aims to disable access to online sites which facilitate copyright infringement and introduces procedure for preventive action and site blocking.
“Considering the pervasiveness of these illegal activities which severely hamper the growth of the creative economy and lead to loss of jobs or displacement of workers, there is a need to establish regulations and effective mechanisms to protect intellectual property rights,” the note read.
Meanwhile, SBN 2385 highlights the renewed authority and responsibilities of the Intellectual Property Office.
It seeks to empower the IPOPHL to disable access to sites that infringe copyright and initiate action for site blocking.
Revilla in his explanatory note stressed the importance of having measures that would “ensure that piracy will not thrive, and that piracy will not kill the industry.”
Both measures recommend the imposition of higher fines from P5,000 to a minimum of P100,000 up to a maximum of P1 million, and an additional P10,000 for each day of continuing violation.
Earlier, entertainment personalities called for the swift passage of the two bills to enable online site blocking as a measure to combat content piracy and safeguard intellectual property rights.
If passed by Congress, Senate Bills 2150 and 2385 will update and strengthen the old IPC and enhance the enforcement capabilities of the IPO against online piracy.
The amended Code will also remove provisions which have limited its control over electronic and online contents within the definition of pirated goods.