As President Marcos expressed his desire to boost the country’s innovation ecosystem, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has highlighted the urgency to amend the Intellectual Property Code (IPC) of the Philippines as the country demands stiffer provisions on creative assets to curb online piracies.

In a post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) discussion, DTI Secretary Alfredo Pascual pointed out the need to revise Republic Act (RA) No. 8293 to curb the prevalence of copyright infringement.

He said the DTI will immediately make its proposed amendments available for the lawmakers to consider.

“In support of the startups, we need a strong intellectual property law. We have an existing one and I’m going to present for legislative consideration our proposed amendments so that we can strengthen its enforcement to ensure the protection of creative assets against counterfeiting and piracy,” Pascual said.

The DTI chief said the 27-year-old IPC needed amendments to address its defects and weaknesses amid emerging legal and technological developments, specifically its effective enforcement against the prevalence of copyright infringement.

At least two Senate bills have already been filed seeking to revise RA 8293 with provisions that will curb digital theft content and effectively address the prevalence of internet scams.

In 2023, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading House Bill No. 7600 which upholds an objective similar to the proposed measures in the Senate.

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) has consistently said that online piracy has been causing losses in the country’s revenue and would cost more if remained unresolved.

In his SONA last week, President Marcos said the government was ready to provide "crucial support" to the country's innovators, including protecting their intellectual property.

"To commercialize and mass produce R&D outputs, crucial support, such as intellectual property rights enforcement, and venture financing, have been put in place," he said.

Last year, Marcos called on the IPOPHL to work with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to craft programs that will develop the country’s IP regime.