Journalists, media personalities dive deep into IP

The Intellectual Property (IP) Academy held this week an IP seminar that enlightened over 100 local  media personalities and journalists on current discussions surrounding IP rights and its socio-economic relevance to their fields.

“Your IP is your lifeblood in this industry. Knowing that your ownership will be fully protected, you can confidently continue to create content that you can gain from thanks to the economic benefits derived from your IP rights, IP Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) Director General Rowel S. Barba said at the seminar titled “IP Forward>> IP Masterclass for Media Personalities and Professionals.”

The masterclass comes after several consecutive weeks that various IP issues have been cropping up in the media and entertainment industries. Such has stirred up online conversations on IP and brought to the fore the public’s misconceptions surrounding it, particularly differences between trademark and  copyright, music copyright and performance rights and various types of IP infringement.

“We hope that after this masterclass, you will be able to use this knowledge to become advocates and champions of IP rights for our people as well. We are confident that your brand and influence will help amplify IPOPHL’s efforts to educate our people about their IP rights,” Barba added.

The sessions covered an overview of the Philippine IP system, the value of protecting trademarks across media platforms, creative works and copyright in the media industry and a guide for media professionals about IPOPHL’s enforcement procedures and processes.

Bengzon & Untalan (B&U) Senior Associate Karla V. Bernardo stressed the importance of IP rights awareness to both the public and the creative industry. “It’s good to keep in mind that the general policy of IP law is to encourage creativity so the public can benefit from that creativity,” Bernardo said.

Meanwhile, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Culture and Arts Officer and Cinemalaya Associate Festival Coordinator Minda T. Casagan echoed the need for strengthening IP awareness in the film and cultural arts industry.

“More than anything, the value of respect for everyone else’s creations must be inculcated in all of us, especially in the industry of filmmaking, music and cultural arts for that matter,” Casagan said.

The 118 participants in the learning activity included members of the academe, mainstream broadcast networks, radio platforms and independent content creators. Aside from the CCP, other government agencies present in the masterclass were the Department of Science and Technology (DOST); the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI); the Department of Agriculture (DA); the Department of Tourism (DOT); the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA); Pag-IBIG; the Department of Education (DepEd); and the Supreme Court.

The IP Academy is set to continue the regular conduct of specialized courses for media professionals across different platforms. IP Academy Officer-in-Charge and Bureau of Copyright and Related Rights Assistant Director Dr. Frederick P. Romero added that IP Academy will target TV, print, digital and social media in future IP Masterclasses to foster the importance of IP protection.

“It is important to have a whole-of-society approach in sustaining media literacy on IP in the Philippines. IPOPHL cannot do this goal alone. We hope that we can have the support of different government agencies and private organizations in promoting IP rights,” Romero said.

The IP Academy serves as the national center of IP training, professionalization and research arm and provides IP courses and modules tailored to specific industries. Interested participants may sign up through the IP Learning Activities Workspace (ILAW) for upcoming learning events. # # # (Hannah Dione Lucero, Media Relations Officer)