A recent survey by the Asia Video Industry Association’s Coalition Against Piracy, commissioned by YouGov, found that 70% of people in the Philippines admitted to watching pirated content through online streaming, up from 58% in 2023.
This puts the country second highest in piracy consumption in the Asia Pacific region (APAC), just behind Vietnam, where the percentage stands at 71%.
Even though 92% of Filipino people know that piracy can be harmful, such as causing computer viruses and hurting local businesses, many still choose to get free content online by pirating.
Globe, a strong advocate for protecting intellectual property, emphasized the need for increased efforts to combat piracy. One solution is to make it a law to block websites that promote piracy.
“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, firmly supports Senate bills to strengthen the Philippines’ Intellectual Property Code.
The giant telco signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and other ISPs to establish a site-blocking mechanism against pirate sites, the first of its kind in Asia, to combat unauthorized distribution and sale of pirated content. Site blocking is essential to safeguard the livelihoods of content creators and protect consumers from the hazards of accessing pirated content.
These efforts are part of the company’s ongoing #PlayItRight campaign, which raises awareness for stronger IP protection to safeguard the creative industry and consumers from piracy.
Leave a comment