Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 14) — The Optical Media Board is seeking to bolster the government’s efforts to combat the “rampant” digital piracy through a proposed bill.
“The agency now is in the early stages of drafting what we call the Anti-digital Piracy Act,” Optical Media Board chairperson and CEO Jeremy Marquez told CNN Philippines’ Newsroom Ngayon on Friday.
Marquez said this would complement existing efforts to curb the rising online piracy cases in the country, which he stressed posed a “major risk” to the economy as workers may lose their jobs once their companies suffer losses.
Among the industries that rely on intellectual property rights are movies, photography, and books, the official stated.
“We try our best to find a way to protect all these industries,” he said.
In 2021, he said the Philippines was sixth among Asian countries with the most engagements in downloading and illegal streaming, with 1.3 billion clicks.
“This year, sad to say, nag-increase ng (it increased by) 35% to 1.7 billion,” he said.
