29 January 2004 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert today welcomed the adoption of a bill that proposes a maximum penalty of three million pesos and imprisonment for nine years for film and music piracy, saying that this would serve as a major blow against those who violate intellectual property rights (IPR).

“In the many fora that I attended as Undersecretary for International Economic Relations, the issue of protecting intellectual property rights always maintained a high profile.  The basic truth is that foreign investors hesitate to bring in their funds and their technology unless they are sure that a country has a strong IPR protection regime,” the Secretary said.

“With the passage of this law, I hope that more members of the investor community will now look at the Philippines as an investment destination.  I also hope that this law will convince governments not to place the Philippines on any list of countries with weak IPR protection rules,” the Secretary said.
 
“We have shown our sincerity in protecting IPR through this law.  I hope that we will be reciprocated with investments and better ratings, so that we can continue to strengthen our IPR protection regime,” she added.

The bill punishes piracy of intellectual properties through the illegal manufacture, replication and sale of any recordable medium or device and which information, including sounds or images, fixed or unfixed in any combination or software code is stored. END.