Press Release June 4, 2011
Villar files report on bill providing greater protection
Sen. Manny Villar, chairman of the Committee on Trade and Commerce, announced that the bill strengthening the protection of intellectual property rights has passed committee level and that the committee report is ready for sponsorship. Senate Bill No. 2842 under Committee Report No. 38 was submitted in substitution of the bills separately filed by Sens. Villar, Jinggoy Estrada, Antonio Trillanes IV, Lito Lapid, Miriam Defensor Santiago, Edgardo Angara and Loren Legarda. The bill amends certain provisions of Republic Act 8293 or the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines. The Trade and Commerce committee worked jointly with the Committees on Constitutional Amendments, Revision of Codes and Laws; Justice and Human Rights; Finance; and Science and Technology in studying the proposed legislations. "In view of the leap in the electronic age and information technology, we see the need to amend the law and offer better protection of the intellectual property rights," he said. Among the new provisions included in the bill is the proposal to give special copyright considerations for the blind, visually- and reading-impaired persons when reproduction is made in a specialized format and distributed for free. The bill also addresses the perennial concern that copyright matters are handled in an ad hoc basis rendering issues on the same inefficient and difficult by establishing the Bureau of Copyright under the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) organizational structure. "This addresses the need for one group to handle copyright matters. The public needs a government agency it can rely on to respond to its copyright concerns," Villar said. The Bureau of Copyright's main function is to resolve disputes relating to the terms of a license involving the author's right to public performance or other communication of his/her work. Villar said an amended IP Code will strengthen government's campaign on the protection of intellectual property rights, particularly the fight against illegal downloading of music via the internet. The features of the bill also include:
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