By: Inquirer
The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) will ask lawmakers for the power to block websites that infringe on intellectual property rights, marking its latest and perhaps most aggressive move yet against piracy.
If Congress were to adopt its proposal, the IPOPHL would be able to order internet service providers such as PLDT and Globe to block websites with pirated content. The ISP would then have to block the site “within hours,” according to an IPOPHL statement.
The blocking would still be done through the facilitation of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), the agency which has primary regulatory oversight over ISPs. ISPs, on the other hand, have the “ultimate [and] direct control in shutting sites.”
However, in IPOPHL’s proposal, the NTC would have to immediately execute IPOPHL’s orders, eliminating the review process that takedown requests go through under current rules.
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