Seven of 10 Filipinos admit consuming pirated content online in 2024, a significant jump from 58 percent in 2023, according to the latest YouGov consumer survey on piracy commissioned by the Asia Video Industry Association’s (AVIA) Coalition Against Piracy (CAP).
This makes the Philippines the second-highest consumer of pirated content in the Asia Pacific, trailing Vietnam (71 percent).
It says that while 92 percent of Filipino respondents are aware of the negative consequences of piracy, including malware risks and harm to local industries, the allure of free content online continues to drive high piracy rates.
Globe, a staunch advocate of intellectual property protection, underscored the need to boost efforts against piracy, particularly passing legislation to institutionalize site blocking, as the incidence of piracy continues to rise.
“This worrying trend highlights the urgency of strengthening enforcement against piracy, which can be done through amending the Intellectual Property Code to enable site blocking,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe’s chief sustainability and corporate communications officer.
“We believe this will go a long way in curbing content piracy, which will in turn support the creative industry and protect our customers from the dangers posed by pirated content,” she said.
Globe, a member of the AVIA-CAP and the Video Coalition of the Philippines, supports Senate bills aimed at strengthening the Philippines’ Intellectual Property Code, particularly provisions for site-blocking measures to curb online piracy.
Site blocking is a critical tool in safeguarding the livelihood of content creators and protecting consumers from the risks associated with accessing pirated content.
Globe is a signatory to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and other ISPs that establishes a site-blocking mechanism against pirate sites, the first of its kind in Asia, highlighting the collaborative effort to combat unauthorized distribution and sale of pirated content.
