Globe backs strengthening intellectual property regime in Asia-Pacific

A more robust intellectual property regime in the country and the Asia-Pacific will help foster an environment conducive to innovation, especially with the accelerated digitalization, leading digital solutions platform Globe said as the nation marked National Intellectual Property Month.

This came as the Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry recently cited benefits of intellectual property provisions under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), an Asia-Pacific free trade agreement which the agency hopes would be ratified by the Philippine Senate once it resumes session in May.

The RCEP was signed by member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and their Asia-Pacific neighbors Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.

“Protection of intellectual property is key in encouraging innovators to create and push their ideas to fruition. This is crucial for Globe, as we continue to tread a path of innovation to deliver pioneering digital products that enable and empower Filipinos,” said Anton Bonifacio, Globe Chief Information Security Officer.

“We are in full support of regional efforts to boost intellectual property protection as this is vital in encouraging businesses to develop and bring new products and experiences to their customers,” he said.

The IP chapter in the RCEP has provisions that aim to align and streamline processes in securing IP rights, including the adoption of electronic filing of applications and establishment of online IP databases accessible to businesses, thereby promoting transparency.

Key inclusions in the chapter also aim to boost enforcement of IP regulations across the region to protect and empower innovators and content creators. These include provisions calling for a tougher crackdown against piracy and strict protection of technological measures and proprietary electronic information of IP owners.

Such an IP regime will foster a safer business environment for enterprises such as the Globe Group, which consistently develops and rolls out technological products and creative content through its core telco business and portfolio companies, from pioneering digital services to films and other original content.

“If we are able to protect intellectual property, innovators and content creators will no longer feel that their work is taken for granted. This kind of environment will give them more confidence and incentive to deliver original, high-quality content to the public,” said Bonifacio.

Globe, which supports digital enablement in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, has been at the forefront of promoting intellectual property protection, particularly through anti-piracy efforts. It has ramped up its drive against piracy through partnerships and continues advocacy through the #PlayItRight campaign, which aims to protect content creators and deter consumption of copied material.

The campaign is critical as the Philippines, along with Vietnam and Malaysia, posted the highest content piracy rates in Asia, according to the YouGov 2022 Piracy Landscape Survey commissioned by AVIA’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP).

The survey revealed that 61% of Philippine respondents said they have consumed pirated content, mainly through social media and messaging platforms. These include clips of films shared on Facebook and TikTok, illegal movie downloads shared via Telegram, and pirated content sold at the Facebook marketplace.

Globe has also been supporting efforts to modernize the country’s intellectual property law, with several bills pending in Congress that aim to boost protection of intellectual property rights.

Among the amendments sought is granting greater power to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines to take down or block online sites violating copyright laws and penalize violators with steeper fines.

Globe has invested $2.7 million to activate a content-filtering system that targets pirated content as well as online child pornography as it seeks to promote a safer Internet.

To know more about Globe, visit www.globe.com.ph.