Senate panel to hear anti-online piracy bills during break

The Senate Trade and Industry Committee will tackle two proposed legislations strengthening the powers and functions of the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) to protect the creative industry against online piracy.

The Office of Senator Mark Villar on Monday said the panel would conduct public hearings on the proposed Senate Bills (SB) 2150 and 2385 during the month-long break of the Senate. The measures were also considered among their priority legislation. 

Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr. filed SB 2150 and 2385, respectively.

In his explanatory note, Estrada noted the “pervasiveness” of piracy in the country which he said severely hampers the growth of the creative economy and lead to loss of jobs or displacement of workers.

“[T]here is a need to establish regulations and effective mechanisms to protect intellectual property rights. This bill proposes to disable access to online sites which facilitate copyright infringement and introduces procedure for preventive action and site blocking,” Estrada said in SB 2150.

Meanwhile, Revilla filed SB 2385 to “empower the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines to disable access to sites which infringes copyright and initiate action for site blocking.”

“In order to give aid to the creative industries, this measure endeavors to cloak them with a mantle of protection against piracy which has now transcended into the online realm. The proposed amendments contemplate the new issues which enfeeble their growth and progress,” Revilla said in his explanatory note.

Both measures were already referred to the Senate committee on trade, commerce, and entrepreneurship but these have yet to be tackled and deliberated since 2023.

The Senate went on recess in March for Holy Week. —LDF, GMA Integrated News