October 9, 2006, Manila, Philippines – With piracy holding back development of the cable and satellite TV industry to just 8% of all TV households in the Philippines, the Intellectual Property Office is bolstering its efforts to curb the problem.
The IPO today united with industry groups led by the Philippine Cable TV Association (PCTA) and the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) to organize the second part of its Intellectual Property Rights Protection Training Program (I-PROTECT).
The I-PROTECT program aims to broaden the competency of government officials processing intellectual property rights legal cases.
Adrian S. Cristobal, Jr., the Director General of IP Philippines said, “Enforcing intellectual property rights is fundamental in promoting respect for the creative work of artists, writers, inventors and scientists. I-PROTECT helps ensure that our laws are properly and fairly enforced by systematically and continuously upgrading the knowledge and skills of those responsible for implementing these laws.”
“It is important that we are aware of the social and economic impact of the cable and satellite industry in our society and its contribution to national development so that our campaign against piracy makes sense,” said Director General Cristobal.
Participants in the high-level seminar for officials and industry players heard how stronger protections of IP rights within the Philippines will deliver more investment, improved communications infrastructure and more consumer choice.
“Philippine cable operators have invested substantial sums to give their customers choice of a wider range of programming for a range of different prices. This is exactly the kind of communications service that will develop further, and faster, if the piracy challenge can be met,” said Allan Dungao, President of PCTA.
According to the PCTA, piracy is causing program providers to suffer from lost revenues; legitimate cable operators to suffer in terms of lost market and higher programming costs; and the Philippine government to suffer from lost revenues in terms of taxes.
The seminar involved the participation of Senator Ramon Magsaysay, Jr., a recognized advocate of growth in the industry. International and local resource speakers shared knowledge on the legal and technical aspects of existing IP laws and regulations and how these are applied to the industry.
Seminar participants also included lawyers and technical officers from the IPO-Bureau of Legal Affairs and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC); law enforcement officers from the Philippine National Police (PNP) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI); lawyers and hearing officers of the Department of Justice (DOJ); and representatives from allied agencies such as the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Optical Media Board (OMB).
This pay-TV-focused I-PROTECT training follows an education project staged by the IPO, the PCTA and CASBAA in July, shortly after the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between the IPO and the NTC, a launch seminar was held specifically for IPO’s Bureau of Legal Affairs.
Simon Twiston Davies, Chief Executive Officer of CASBAA, expressed the industry’s appreciation for the government’s efforts to address the worsening cases of piracy in the cable and satellite industry.
“We thank the IP Philippines for fulfilling a government commitment to creating a new awareness of the intellectual property challenges that face our industry. This seminar exemplifies how cooperation between government and the private sector can, in turn, lead to the cable and satellite TV sector becoming a key contributor to Philippine national progress,” Mr. Twiston Davies said.
###
ABOUT CASBAA – www.casbaa.com
The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia is an industry-based advocacy group dedicated to the promotion of multi-channel TV via cable, satellite, broadband and wireless video networks across the Asia-Pacific. CASBAA represents some 110 Asia-based corporations, which in turn serve more than three billion people. Members include Australia Network, ABN AMRO, AETN International (History Channel), AsiaSat, Astro, Bloomberg Television, China Entertainment Television, Chunghwa Telecom, Comverse, Discovery Networks Asia, EMC, Granada, HBO Asia, IBM, Macquarie Bank, MTV Networks Asia Pacific, Nokia, now TV, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Sony Pictures Television International, STAR Group, Sun Microsystems, Turner International Asia Pacific, UBC, Walt Disney Television International, Zonemedia, AGB Nielsen, Asian Food Channel, BBC Global Channels, ESPN STAR Sports, Eurosport, Hallmark Channel, Hong Kong Cable, HSBC Bank, Lovells, National Geographic, Paul Weiss, StarHub and TimeWarner.
CONTACTS:
Rebecca Kennedy / Katie Wong
CASBAA
Tel : +852 2854 9913
Fax: +852 2854 9530
Email: pr@casbaa.com