US publishers cite government move vs textbook piracy

The American Association of Publishers (AAP) recently hailed moves by the Philippine government to put a stop to the growth of the textbook piracy trade in the country, saying this is "an excellent signal to the international business community".

AAP president and former United States Rep. Patricia Schroeder (Democrat, Colorado) expressed hope that the government "will commence the drive soonest and sustain it," saying this "could help raise further the level of international investor preference for the Philippine market."

Schroeder noted that the Philippines was once a major market for US publishers before the rise of rampant copyright piracy in the country.

The government, through the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), recently announced that it is to take legal and law enforcement action against the proliferation of pirated medical, scientific and medical textbooks amid reports of the growing menace of copyright theft in the academic sector.

The impending action comes in the wake of a looming boycott of the Philippine market by international publishers. The boycott raised fears that Filipino students would lose access to updated edition of vital educational materials depriving them of much-needed information.

Schroeder said "it is not just the business of publishers that we wish to protect – it is the continuing access of students to resource materials that will keep them in step with modern medical, technical and scientific developments".

The proliferation of textbook piracy also placed the country in the priority watchlist of notorious intellectual property rights violators. The Philippines is reportedly the "second worst territory in Asia for publishers."

International publishers also reportedly lose an average of $60 million to local copyright pirates.

The NBI gave an ultimatum to local printers and book sellers suspected of engaging in the illegal reproduction of these copyrighted materials. It also warned textbook pirates that Presidential Decree 1203 has already been repealed and that the laws on intellectual property rights are now being fully enforced in the country. PD 1203 previously permitted the local reproduction of imported textbook materials.

The copyright piracy problem significantly affected the decision by the United States Trade Representative office to place the Philippines in the priority watchlist of notorious intellectual property rights violators in the world.

The losses reflect a worsening copyright piracy situation in the country fueled by modern printing technologies "and the reported participation of academic personnel in the racket." The NBI said it has also received information that "certain university professors are now also selling pirated textbooks to their students."

The NBI said the crackdown on textbook piracy syndicates "is a priority of the government and will take place sooner than expected."