Block piracy: Congress must pass Online Site Blocking Bill

Illustration by: Virgilio Biagtan

The pressing issue of online piracy in the Philippines continues to take a heavy toll on the country’s economy and creative industries. With an estimated $700 million lost in 2022 alone due to unauthorized streaming of Filipino-made content, piracy has not only stunted the growth of the entertainment sector but also deprived thousands of creative workers of their rightful earnings. The absence of a legislative mandate to block sites hosting pirated content has left government agencies like the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) relying on stopgap measures, which are insufficient to combat the scale of the problem. The Site Blocking Bill, now pending in the Senate, offers a long-overdue solution by amending the 27-year-old Intellectual Property Code to empower authorities to swiftly disable access to infringing sites.

Beyond the economic impact, piracy endangers users’ digital security, exposing them to malware, scams, and identity theft. The urgency for legislative action cannot be overstated. Without this bill, the Philippines could face a staggering $1 billion in revenue losses by 2027, a projection that threatens to deepen the country’s economic woes. Senate Bills 2150 and 2385 represent a critical step toward modernizing the country’s intellectual property laws, aligning them with the realities of the digital age. By passing this legislation, Congress has the opportunity to protect not only the creative economy but also the digital safety of millions of Filipinos. It’s time to act decisively to safeguard our creative heritage and the livelihoods that depend on it.

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