Philippines Still in US Watch List for Rampant Copyright Infringement?

The Philippines is in the US Watch List for rampant copyright infringement, and nobody seems to talk about it. Nothing works like a freshly baked news from abroad to jolt us to that reality. If Indonesia is complaining, why isn't the Philippines doing the same?

The United States has once again put Indonesia into its Priority Watch List of countries with rampant copyright infringement, despite claims by the government in Jakarta of progress on that front.

Eleven other countries are included on the list, such as China, India, Thailand and the Philippines. (emphasis mine)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com

Truth is, I'm not surprised. I cannot help but hear people talk about buying cheap but good copies of music and video CDs in very accessible areas in Metro Manila, not to mention the street vendors selling those stuff to passersby (although in fairness, these vendors are nowhere to be found in many areas now, thanks to the efforts of Bayani Fernando.)

A friend of mine argued with a seminar facilitator who spoke against pirated CDs. My friend said, "Tell me why I would choose to buy a CD ten times the price of a slightly inferior version. If I lose the cheaper version, I'll just buy another one. If I lose an original copy, will the movie distributor replace that lost copy? I know how much a blank CD costs."

That in itself already sounded like a potent argument. But what really caught me was the response of the other participants in the seminar room: they all clapped and cheered! These participants were no ordinary street guys. They were professionals and businessmen.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not supporting copyright infringement. I'm only describing the state of affairs, the so-called "Point A" in the march towards the envisioned "Point B" wherein people respect and uphold copyright.

Indeed, if we want Filipinos to invest in on their talents, we Filipinos need to learn how to give commensurate value to our own talents. Doing that, however, is inseparable from the need to give commensurate value to the talents of everyone, including foreign films and music.

In the meantime, we are reaping what we have sown.

But we can sow new values and reap great rewards in the future, especially for our children.