Viva Holdings, Inc. (VHI) has signed an agreement with the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) to enhance intellectual property protection in e-commerce. The agreement, announced on Tuesday, covers 37 Viva companies, including future ventures, across various sectors such as film and TV production, streaming, music licensing, concerts, fitness studios, skincare and cosmetics distribution, radio programming, and food services.
Viva Chairman and CEO Vic del Rosario Jr. emphasized the importance of the partnership, stating, “This is great news for all creators and artists under the Viva fold. Viva is the leading content provider in the country. It is only right that we provide all those involved with us the maximum protection of their intellectual property against piracy and counterfeiting.”
Piracy has been a significant issue for Viva.
“Ang tingin ko ang nawawala ay 80% of our potential. Nakukuha lang ng legal 20%. Kasi ang volume ng streaming talaga, mahirap ang enforcement,” Del Rosario, Jr. said. He further noted that piracy reduces the available budget for content production, which affects the quality of the company’s offerings. “Dahil napipirata, imbes na dagdagan yung budget para mas gumanda ang content, ilan na lang. Kung hindi, baka mas maganda pa tayo sa Korea. Magaling tayong gumawa. Problema syempre tight ang budget natin lalo’t mahina ang sinehan ngayon. So kami, we’ll depend a lot on streaming,” he added.
The IPOPHL will also assist in addressing the sale of unauthorized products, such as beauty items, that are exclusively distributed by Viva in the Philippines. Atty. Brigitte M. da Costa-Villaluz, director general of IPOPHL, pointed out the significance of this partnership, noting, “We aim to make e-commerce a safe environment. Last year alone, na confiscate namin ay over P40 billion. Actually nawalang kita na ‘yun kasi they made it available to the public.”
The IPOPHL plays a key role in managing and protecting intellectual property rights in the Philippines.Established in 1998, the agency is tasked with fostering innovation, creativity, and economic growth by ensuring effective enforcement of intellectual property laws. “As a signatory to the IPO E-commerce MOU, our directors, writers, songwriters, everybody creating content and products for Viva, now enjoy protection. Piracy and counterfeiting are major problems in the entertainment and other industries. These massively affect not only income but also disrespects creators, inventors and innovators. They can now rest assured that IPO will always be behind them,” said Del Rosario, Jr.
The agreement includes a streamlined process for addressing piracy and counterfeiting concerns on major e-commerce platforms, such as Lazada, Shopee, Zalora, and TikTok. Atty. da Costa-Villaluz clarified, “This MOU allows us to request the removal of counterfeit items from these platforms. The platforms have committed to complying with the terms of the agreement.”
The MOU addresses the ongoing problem of intellectual property theft, particularly in the age of digital distribution through QR codes and USB drives. Aside from Del Rosario, Jr. and Atty. da Costa-Villaluz, also present at the signing was Viva Communications CEO Vincent del Rosario, III.
