Globe underscores the absence of site blocking law for stronger intellectual property protection
A new survey presents how online piracy continues to rise in the Philippines, underscoring the need to strengthen enforcement against such intellectual property violations.
The latest YouGov consumer survey on piracy, commissioned by the Asia Video Industry Association’s (AVIA) Coalition Against Piracy (CAP), revealed that 70% of the population said they consume pirated content via online streaming this year, up from 58% in 2023.
This is the second highest level of piracy consumption in the Asia Pacific, with the Philippines next only to Vietnam in the survey at 71%.
While 92% of Filipino respondents are aware of the negative consequences of piracy, including malware risks and harm to local industries, the allure of free content online continues to drive high piracy rates.
As the incidence of piracy continues to rise, Globe, a staunch advocate of intellectual property protection, underscored the need to boost efforts against piracy, particularly passing legislation to institutionalize site blocking.
“This worrying trend highlights the urgency of strengthening enforcement against piracy, which can be done through amending the Intellectual Property Code to enable site blocking. We believe this will go a long way in curbing content piracy, which will in turn support the creative industry and protect our customers from the dangers posed by pirated content,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe’s Chief Sustainability and Corporate Communications Officer.
Globe, a member of the AVIA-CAP and the Video Coalition of the Philippines, staunchly supports Senate bills aimed at strengthening the Philippines’ Intellectual Property Code, particularly provisions for site-blocking measures to curb online piracy. Site blocking is a critical tool in safeguarding the livelihood of content creators and protecting consumers from the risks associated with accessing pirated content.
Globe is a signatory to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and other ISPs that establishes a site-blocking mechanism against pirate sites, the first of its kind in Asia, highlighting the collaborative effort to combat unauthorized distribution and sale of pirated content.
These efforts are in line with the company’s long-going #PlayItRight campaign, which raises public awareness and advocates for stronger IP protection to protect the P1.6-trillion creative industry and consumers from piracy.
