FILVADRO Calls For Copyright Reforms In Philippine Law

The Filipino Visual Arts and Design Rights Organization (FILVADRO) and two other collective management groups are calling on legislators to amend provisions in the copyright law of the Intellectual Property Code to make the 15-year-old law relevant to the times and applicable to the sector. Launched in September 2011, FILVADRO administers the intellectual property rights of its visual artist-members.

Officials of FILVADRO, the Filipinas Copyright Licensing Society, Inc. (FILCOLS), and the Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, Inc. (FILSCAP) had met with Senator Manny Villar, chairperson of the Senate committee on trade and commerce, and personally submitted and discussed their organizations’ respective position papers and proposed amendments to the copyright law.

The Philippines is the only country in Southeast Asia that has a provision for resale rights; however, it has not been able to successfully enforce the provision in favor of the artists or the copyright-holders since the IP Code