Group seeks IPO accreditation

MANILA, Philippines - Sound Recording Rights Society, Inc. (SRRS) is seeking accreditation as a collective management organization (CMO) with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) to be able to collect fees for the commercial use of published sound recordings.

In a notice posted on its website dated Jan. 6, the IPOPHL said it received a letter of application from SRRS to become an accredited CMO.

SRRS was established in November 2013 as a non-stock and non-profit corporation to administer and uphold the sound recording rights of producers as well as performers, upon authorization.

The organization is composed of record labels engaged in the music publishing business.

It is applying for accreditation as a CMO so it may collect the remuneration for performers and producers on the use of their sound recordings for commercial purposes or broadcasting to the public, upon authorization of member-companies.

Under Republic Act 10372 which amended the Intellectual Property Code and was signed by President Aquino in February 2013, the IPOPHL could set-up the Bureau of Copyright which would be responsible for the accreditation of the CMOs.

The IPOPHL said interested parties may submit their position on the SRRS’ application.

“Any interested party may submit written observations thereon to the Bureau of Copyright and Other Related Rights within 30 days from publication,” it said.

The following have earlier secured CMO accreditation with the IPOPHL: Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, Inc.; Filipinas Copyright Licensing Society, Inc.; and Performers Rights Society of the Philippines.

The IPOPHL wants to increase the public’s awareness on the protection of IP rights as well as improve the enforcement of such in order to keep the country out of the Office of the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) list of countries tagged with IP problems.