US group lists top Philippine ‘pirate’ dens

A coalition based in the United States and engaged in protection of intellectual property has tagged several areas in the Philippines as “notorious” markets for “pirates.” In its comment submitted to the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) for the 2010 Special 301 Out of Cycle Review of Notorious Markets, the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) named as “hot spots” the cities of Manila (particularly Quiapo district), San Juan City (Greenhills area), Makati City (Makati Cinema Square), Pasig City (Metrowalk), Dasmariñas in Cavite province, Antipolo in Rizal province, Cagayan de Oro in Misamis Oriental province, Cebu in Cebu province and Davao in Davao del Sur province.

IIPA said that these Philippine cities and other areas in the world listed in its written submission “are symptomatic of a larger struggle creators face to overcome years of lax attitudes and enforcement actions against piracy.”

“We believe that the list of “Notorious Markets” can serve an important function as an illustrative and anecdotal account to help encourage foreign governments’ responsible authorities to step up efforts to combat piracy in these and similar markets,” it added.

“Manila’s Quiapo district remains a center for [optical disk] pirate trade, Davao City’s pirate trade has largely been untouched and Cebu City remains a major hub in the operations of pirates in the Visayas. The sale of pirate and counterfeit optical media also remains unchecked in Antipolo, Dasmariñas and Cagayan de Oro.

In addition, retail piracy of software and games can still be observed in Makati Cinema Square [Makati City], Metrowalk [Pasig City] and practically every mall in [Metro] Manila,” the group said.

“Market intelligence also suggests an increase of locally burned pirated discs [including a recent proliferation of pirate DVD-Rs] from Quiapo barter trade complex. Pirate DVDs remain at hot spots like Virra Mall [at] Greenhills Shopping Center in San Juan and Circle C Mall in Project 8, Quezon City, although they are now sold in a clandestine fashion through the use of runners, while music, software and games are openly sold on discs or offered for down-loading,” IIPA added.

The Philippines is on the watch list of the USTR’s 2010 Special 301 Report on Intellectual Property Rights, wherein it was noted that the “ineffective enforcement of IPRs [intellectual property rights]” in the country “continues to be a concern,” and 168 Mall in Manila’s Divisoria area in the city’s Binondo district, Greenhills, Makati Cinema Square and Quiapo were included among so-called “notorious markets” or piracy hot spots.

IIPA groups the Association of American Publishers, Business Software Alliance, Entertainment Software Association, Independent Film and Television Alliance, Motion Picture Association of America, National Music Publishers’ Association and Recording Industry Association of America. –BEN ARNOLD O. DE VERA REPORTER, Manila Times