Lawmakers urged: Act on proposed IP Code amendments

An advocacy group is urging lawmakers to act on two pending measures which seek to amend the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines, saying that the existing laws remain helpless against online piracy.

According to Bantay Konsyumer, Kalsada, Kuryente (BKKK) secretary general Pet Climaco, the proposed amendments can combat cyber criminals who exploit the vulnerabilities of the “outdated” IP Code which resulted in government revenue losses.

The measures -- Senate Bill 2150 and 2385 – were filed separately by Senator Jinggoy Estrada and Senator Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla, respectively. However, these bills have remained unacted upon in the Senate after the change of committee chairmanships when the new chamber’s leadership took over a few months back.

These bills gained backing from the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), the private sector, and celebrities as the amendment of the IPC will address issues on online piracy.

According to IPOPHL, due to online piracy, the country has lost $781 million in 2022 and if remains unaddressed, the revenue loss will increase up to $1 billion. It also noted that there was a drastic decline in the incidence of piracy in countries where site blocking was implemented.

Moreover, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) expressed support for the amendment of the IPC, saying “the country needs to have a strong law on intellectual property to protect intellectual property owners against piracy and counterfeiting.”

Meantime, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has also urged the senators to pass the said bills “amid the evolving technological complexities in cybercrimes” as the IP Code should “have a strong defense to repel digital theft.”