Philippines fights movie pirates
The Philippines has intensified its efforts to combat movie piracy through a series of strategic measures. In April 2022, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) partnered with the Motion Picture Association (MPA) to address the proliferation of pirated content. This collaboration led to the implementation of a site-blocking program in January 2024, enabling Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to voluntarily block access to websites distributing pirated media without requiring a court order. Notably, domains such as SFlix and MyFlixer have been targeted under this initiative.
A YouGov survey commissioned by the Coalition Against Piracy revealed that 61% of Filipino consumers admitted to using pirate media services in 2022, a significant increase from 49% in 2020. This surge underscores the urgency of the government’s actions. The IPOPHL has also received technical support from the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) to enhance its capabilities in blocking infringing sites through methods like DNS and IP address filtering.
While these measures have been effective in swiftly restricting access to pirated content, some concerns have been raised regarding the transparency of the processes involved. Nonetheless, the Philippine government’s proactive stance reflects a commitment to protecting intellectual property rights and supporting the creative industry.
