Philippines IP regulator: Single individual responsible for bulk of H1 piracy reports

MANILA, Philippines — Counterfeit and piracy reports surged nearly fourfold in the first half, fueled by a single netizen, according to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.

In a statement on Wednesday, the country’s IP watchdog revealed data showing they received 200 of these reports between January to June. The figures tallied higher compared to the 52 registered in the same period a year ago.

The reports, which the IPOPHL claimed came from a “suspected avid gamer”, amounted to 135 out of the 152 piracy reports during the period.

Data broken down showed 133 out of the 135 piracy reports came from their January tally, showing that the individual took “a hard line on pirated gaming software, hinting at possibly being an avid gamer.”

IPOPHL data showed that software accounted for 145, or 95%, of the total piracy reports in the first six months.

“Such sheer will to combat piracy gives IPOPHL hope that we have individual allies out there who want to set things right. It also gives us hope to see the impact of what one person can do,” said IPOPHL deputy director general Ann Claire C. Cabochan.

On the other hand, reports of counterfeiting rose 9% on an annual basis to 48 in the first half comprised by a bulk of reports of counterfeit apparel.

The office indicated that a majority of these reports pointed to infringement activities online, with 69% of these reports citing e-commerce giant Lazada as a key channel. — Ramon Royandoyan